In Time Of War
by MizJoely
Summary: An AU Zutara story. Even if a relationship starts out the worst possible way, can destiny find a way for things to work out between them after all? Complete.
1. Off To A Bad Start

_A/N: I promise not to kill Sokka in this story. But I don't promise not to allow unpleasant things to happen to other characters, including Zuko and Katara. You have been warned._

_Point of Departure: This story takes place in an alternate Avatar world, one where almost everyone is older (except Aang and Toph, at least to start off with). Hakoda is dead and Sokka is Chief in his place. Katara is 18, Sokka is 20, Zuko is 21, etc. Azula is still bat-shit crazy, Ozai is still power mad and bent on conquering the world, and Zutara will RULE after a suitable amount of angst. If you're not interested in alternate worlds in the Avatarverse (and if sexual violence in a **fictional** capacity offends you), this is **NOT** for you. Hopefully I've managed to keep everyone in character even in this darker world I've chosen to portray; if not, I'm sure someone will let me know._

_Another note: If you grew up reading 1970s-style romance novels, you'll recognize the basic structure of this story. If not, then here is the rundown: In a modern romance novel, the whole thing is based on "sensual awakening", where the woman is an innocent and the man is the one who causes her to become sexually aware. In a 1970's romance novel, the hero rapes the heroine because he just can't help himself he wants her sooo badly, but after a while he realizes he loves her and eventually she's able to forgive him because, of course, she's fallen in love with him as well. It's _**so**_ not politically correct, but then, that's the fun of playing in someone else's sandbox; you get to do things that aren't PC._

**WARNING: Sexual Violence. This story is rated "M" and is NOT intended for anyone under 18. Consider yourself warned.**

* * *

Katara struggled against the manacle chaining her to the wall, testing for weakness, to no avail. She was the prisoner of the arrogant Fire Nation prince and there was nothing she could do about it. Even at eighteen her Waterbending skills were sadly lacking, since there was no one to teach her how to improve her skills. Oh, she'd gotten better over the years but only at doing what she already knew how to do.

She tested the manacle again, moving her foot back and forth, straining against the metal that had just been installed that morning, after an aborted escape attempt on her part that Zuko had stopped…barely. She smiled at the memory. She'd almost made it over the side of the war ship, confident of her ability to survive even the freezing cold water of the southern polar ocean, and their inability to recapture her once she was safely beneath the icy surface. Of course she wouldn't be able to make her way back to her own village—Sokka and her tribe would pay the price if she were ever found there—but she could at least try and find a temporary safe haven while she decided if it were worth it for her to try and find Aang.

Aang. The real reason she'd been taken as a hostage, never mind Zuko's lofty proclamations about her serving to ensure her tribes' continued honoring of the "treaty" the prince had wrangled from her brother. And all because they'd managed to get Aang, the Avatar, away from the Fire Nation prince before he could enter the village and attempt to capture him.

She and Sokka had found the young boy trapped in ice two years ago, a twelve-year-old with blue arrow tattoos and a grin as wide as the horizon who'd quickly made himself welcome, he and his bison Appa both. Even Sokka, sour, suspicious Sokka, had warmed to them, all the while fretting that their presence would be a danger to the tribe.

Katara had convinced him otherwise; after all, the Avatar was supposed to be dead, right? Who knew he'd somehow managed to get trapped in ice for a hundred years instead? Although her brother's instincts had been to try and get Aang away from the village, Katara had convinced him to let the boy stay; after all, if he was to reach his true potential, he had to have some Waterbending training, even if it was only the very rudimentary abilities Katara had to share.

And so she'd convinced Sokka to let him stay for a few weeks. Weeks had become months, and months had become two years, then suddenly the Fire Nation was on their icy doorstep, and everything had rapidly gone from bad to worse.

Katara shucked her furs, tossing them mutinously on the floor instead of laying them neatly across the nearest chair back. It was hotter than she'd ever experienced in the prince's cabin, and she'd never seen so much wood and metal in her life. Stubbornly she refused to appreciate the warmth; it was something she used to wonder about, what it would be like to have a true summer like the one's she'd heard described by those who'd traveled past the South Pole to warmer climes.

Well, she'd gotten her curiosity satisfied, and then some. Clad only in her light under-tunic and trousers, the chain on her ankle clattering with every step to remind her exactly how much of a prisoner she was, she walked back and forth, kicking irritably at her boots when she almost stumbled over them. One little escape attempt and Prince Hot-Head overreacted. She'd watched disbelievingly as he'd ordered the manacles brought up from the brig and had one of his lackeys bolt the iron ring to the cabin wall. She sniffed at the memory; at least his royal pain-in-the-assness had deigned to place the manacle around her ankle himself.

But not before his uncle, Lord Iroh, had solicitously placed a band of fur around her ankle so the iron manacle wouldn't chafe. She could almost find it in her heart to appreciate the gesture, but he hadn't countermanded his nephew's order to keep her confined like this, either, so she wasn't ready to consider him any differently than the rest of her captors.

Her captors. How had this happened? One minute she was home, safely watching her brother and the other remaining tribesmen return from a successful hunt, the next she was hiding Aang and confronting a Fire Nation warship. One commanded by Prince Zuko, no less, Fire Lord Ozai's son. Son, but not heir; the little gossip she'd gleaned told her the prince was out of favor.

Well, he was out of her favor as well, using her as a hostage to threaten her fellow villagers. Sokka had been forced into signing that ridiculous agreement not to take up arms against the Fire Nation and to pay some sort of annual tribute in return for her continued safety. What did they have that the Fire Lord could possibly want? What use were furs and blubber in a land as hot as the Fire Nation was reputed to be?

Back and forth, back and forth she paced. The only good thing was that she'd managed to conceal her Waterbending abilities. Well, not the only good thing; she'd also sent this ship on a wild goose-duck chase, looking for the Avatar in the opposite direction to which he'd actually fled at her behest. Everyone in the village had played ignorant when asked about any strangers with Air Nomad tattoos, and she had the prince convinced he'd been seen in another village many miles to the north. If it had been in her power she would have tried to make him believe Aang hadn't been in the South Polar region at all, but Zuko's unnamed source had described the Avatar down to the toenails, which meant he'd been spotted at some point, which in turn meant it was too late for any kind of damage control on Katara's part.

And that led to now. Now they were heading for a village that no longer existed, thanks to the Fire Nation navy's depredations, but Zuko didn't have to know that until it was too late to do anything about it.

Katara felt the ship shudder to a halt; they had arrived. It was only a matter of time before Prince Zuko discovered the extent of her deception, before he confronted her with it, and she braced herself for that confrontation as best she could. She estimated she had no more than an hour's grace before the truth was discovered. That was enough time to plan what to say and do at the inevitable confrontation that would follow.

After fifteen minutes or so had passed she forced herself to stop pacing, to sit and compose herself, practicing what she would say to him. "Oh? Is the village destroyed?" she'd ask, making sure to keep her voice and eyes as innocent as possible. "How tragic. We had no idea, we don't trade with them except once a year, sometimes every other year if the ice is bad. But still, that doesn't mean the Avatar isn't in the next village, the one west of here…" Oh yes, she had plans.

They all went out the window as the door to Zuko's cabin slammed open. He stood in the open doorway, glaring at her, and she felt all her bravado fall away in the face of his palpable rage. His eyes were literally glowing, the amber irises almost red and the whites a sullen, sulfurous yellow; she could swear there were wisps of smoke coming off the exposed portions of his body. He slammed the door shut behind him, stalking over to her, removing his parka and kicking off his boots as he did so. "You lying bitch!" he roared, then backhanded her hard enough to send her flying off the chair.

That did it; she felt her own anger overpowering the fear she'd been trying so hard to cover up. Just because she was from the South Pole didn't mean she had a cool temperament. "Of course I lied!" she flared, scrambling back to her feet and ignoring as best she could the tears of pain that flooded her eyes. Her cheek throbbed, but she refused to touch it, to let him know exactly how much he'd hurt her. "You were going to _kill_ him!"

Zuko reached out and grasped her by both arms, shaking her, pulling her close enough that she could make out every individual eyelash around his good eye, every line and ridge of the red scar surrounding the other one, the scar she still hadn't learned anything about. His lips were clenched so tightly together they seemed more white than red, but she met him glare for glare, refusing to give in. "You don't understand, you stupid _peasant_," Zuko snarled, shaking her once again. "My father gave a direct order: come back with the Avatar or _don't come back at all_!"

"I find it really hard to sympathize," she retorted, eyes narrowing to slits of rage equal to anything he must be feeling. "Really, really hard. Poor Zuko, Daddy won't let him come home, boo-hoo-hoo."

In a blind fury he pulled back one hand as if to hit her again, and in her anger Katara reacted instinctively; the pitcher of water across the room was suddenly empty, and the prince was just as suddenly doused by its former contents.

That stopped him cold, and Katara realized what a terrible mistake she'd just made. She backed up a step as Zuko released her, ignoring the water dripping from his hair and face. "You're a Waterbender?" he asked, his voice calm. Too calm, especially after the rage he'd just demonstrated. "Answer me," he demanded when she stumbled to a stop against the wall.

She shook her head stubbornly; with a low growl, Zuko lunged at her, grabbing for her shoulder but missing and grasping only a handful of blue fabric instead. "More lies!" he roared, overwhelmed by rage.

Katara continued her movement, ducking away, feeling the fabric give and tear, stumbling over the half-forgotten manacle around her ankle and falling directly against Zuko.

His arms went out automatically to catch her, to keep them both from tumbling to the floor. His eyes just as automatically lowered to the half-revealed bosom now pressed up against his chest, and Katara felt a thrill of terror at the sudden change in his body temperature; if she thought he was warm before, he felt positively feverish now. He pulled her closer, and she fought against his hold with all her strength.

To no avail. His lips descended to hers as he pulled her closer, and she felt an even warmer pulse lower down on his body as his hips ground into hers. She pulled back with a gasp, feeling her own face flush. "Let go of me, you Fire Nation pig!" she shouted, and slapped him full across the face.

He shoved her against the wall with a furious snarl, knocking the breath out of her. "People have _died_ for less than that," he growled, his hands tearing away the remnants of her bodice, exposing her breast wraps. He tugged on its ties as she struggled to regain her breath and tried her best to fight him off, but it was no use. When the ties knotted instead of loosening, he yanked a knife from the back of his waistband and simply sliced through them, then threw the knife over his shoulder before Katara could act on her impulse to grab it. It thunked into the doorsill next to the key to her manacle and quivered there, as out of reach as the Moon Goddess, and she returned her attention to the madman in front of her.

His hands were everywhere, touching her in places no man had ever dared lay hands before, followed by his lips, on her face, her neck, her breasts…she beat at him, yanking frantically on his hair, but he ignored her, keeping his body pressed tightly against hers to hold her immobile, using his legs to block her attempts to jam her knee into his crotch, folding her hands behind her to be imprisoned between her own body and the cold metal wall. One hand yanked the remainders of her tunic down past her hips; as it tumbled around her feet, he set to work on her trousers, and she felt a rush of terror as she realized what was about to happen to her.

She fought against him like a wild animal, screams issuing from her throat although part of her understood that no help was forthcoming. Even Lord Iroh wouldn't dare interrupt his nephew in such a frenzy. She called Zuko every name she could think of, raining curses down on his head as he tore the fabric of her trousers as easily as he had her tunic, this time having no problems untying her under-drawers. Those, too, joined her tunic around her ankles, then she felt his leg nudging hers apart, the alien heat of his man-parts pressing against her stomach through his trousers, the only piece of clothing between the two of them now, and bit down on his shoulder, hard, the only part of him she could easily reach.

He reacted with a yell of pain, jerking his torso away from hers long enough for her to free her hands and reach out with clawed fingers for his eyes. He batted them away one-handed; the other was busy fumbling with the drawstring of his trousers, allowing them to drop to the floor. He kicked himself free of their confines while grabbing her wrists, once again trapping her hands behind her back.

He was naked, fully naked now, nothing beneath the trousers he'd just removed, and that rattled Katara, threw her off just enough as he pushed the full length of his body against hers. His eyes had regained that heated glow she'd first glimpsed when the entered the room, and there was definitely steam coming off his body; his skin practically sizzled where it touched hers.

Katara's struggles increased as blind panic took over, but it was too late. Within minutes it was over; he shuddered and leaned against her, resting his glistening forehead against her shoulder before pulling himself off of her.

She stared at him, unable to speak, throat aching, body aching even more, lifting trembling fingertips to her lips. She wouldn't cry, not in front of him, La help her, give her that much strength…

She continued to lie there, frozen, unable to look away as he stumbled to his feet, blinking and looking around as if coming out of a daze. When he looked down and saw the blood staining her thighs, then saw signs of that same virgin blood on a certain part of his own body, he gave a low cry, staggering as if he'd received a blow. He paled even whiter than normal, gathered up his clothing and clumsily put it on, tunic and trousers, shoving his feet into his boots, backing away from her as if she were the monster. He gave her one last, horrified look before streaking from the room, slamming the door shut behind him.

When he was gone, Katara curled in a tight ball and wept.


	2. World On Fire

_A/N: Time to see things from Zuko's side. I know I'm walking a really, REALLY fine line here, but if you've stuck it out this far I promise the pay off will be worth it._

* * *

Iroh watched stoically as Zuko raced to the railing and emptied the contents of his stomach into the icy depths of the southern ocean. He walked over to his nephew when he appeared to have finished, snatching up a fur from a nearby pile and throwing it over Zuko's shoulders.

Zuko was shuddering, shaking in reaction. "Uncle, I just…"

Iroh lay an understanding hand on his nephew's shoulder. "I know. It was…difficult to miss what must have happened between you two."

Zuko stared down at his uncle, his eyes two burning embers in a chalky face. "I'm no better than my father," he whispered. "The men must think I'm an animal." His expression told Iroh that was certainly how he viewed himself at the moment.

"Most of the men have done what you just did, and worse," Iroh replied imperturbably. "It is likely they approve. She has already tried to escape, and it is clear she lied about the Avatar."

"She's a Water Bender," Zuko blurted, and Iroh blinked.

"Well, that is unexpected," he said after a long moment. "So she hid that from us as well. Standard procedure for such an untruth would be to raze her village to the ground, kill all the men and enslave the women and children." He waited to see what Zuko would say.

His nephew shook his head violently. "No. She's paid enough for her actions." He raised a shaking hand to his face. "What is the punishment for a soldier who commits the type of atrocities I just did?"

"There are no punishments for such actions, Prince Zuko." When his nephew gave him a disbelieving stare, Iroh shrugged. "It is true; your father and his admirals and generals believe such retaliation to be good tactics. I do not personally condone such actions," he hastened to add, "but this is war, whether we like it or not. And sometimes the bloodlust is impossible to overcome once it has been aroused." He looked pointedly at the blood still trickling down Zuko's arms, at the bite mark just beginning to bruise on his left shoulder. "I see what she did to you; is she otherwise injured?"

Zuko started to shake his head, then stopped. "I don't know," he admitted. "I can't exactly remember everything I did in there." A haze of red had blurred his vision once he realized she was a Water Bender; everything after that was a blank until he found himself staring at her, at the blood on her thighs…

"I will check on her, if you will allow me," Iroh offered after a moment. Zuko was still in charge of this operation, and he was in a very fragile state of mind right now; it wouldn't do to push him over the edge by assuming anything.

Zuko's eyes snapped back into focus, and he nodded. "Take the damn chain off her ankle; the key's hanging by the door. And have someone get my stuff out of there. I'll bunk with the men until we get home."

"And what are your orders concerning the Avatar?" It had to be asked, although Iroh knew the response he was going to get.

"We head back home and report that we lost him," Zuko replied, as expected. "If he flew off on that buffalo-thing he's reported to have with him, we'll never catch him, not without a fleet to fan out and check in every direction. With the time we've wasted coming here, he could be almost anywhere by now." Never mind his father's orders; Zuko was no coward, to run from the punishment the Fire Lord would no doubt mete out after this spectacular failure. Even bringing home a Water Bender hostage wouldn't help.

Iroh merely bowed and gently suggested his nephew see the ship's surgeon to have his wounds tended to. Zuko plodded off obediently, dropping the fur to the deck behind him.

Inside, Iroh was nowhere near as calm as the front he presented. He was furious with his nephew for giving in to such base instincts, but he had no doubt the boy was provoked. That neither excused his actions nor made it the girl's fault, but it was disappointing, to say the least. He'd worked hard to instill a firm moral compass in his nephew, especially now that he was away from the court, but exile had only made Zuko more bitter and reclusive.

And now this. With a quiet sigh, Iroh, summoned one of the sailors over and gave him detailed instructions. When the man repeated them back to Iroh's satisfaction, he nodded and sent him on his way. Then he made his own way to the door to Zuko's cabin, knocking before pushing it open.

"Lady Katara?"

He heard a bitter laugh in response to his tentative request. "I'm no lady, Lord Iroh, certainly not now."

He risked opening the door further. She was sitting on the floor, wrapped in her furs. The remnants of what must have been her clothing lay scattered about her. There was a bruise forming on one cheek, puffing up slightly around the eye; it would be spectacularly colored by the morning and no doubt felt as painful as it looked.

Without another word Iroh slipped fully into the room, closing the door softly behind him before reaching for the key. He walked up to her and extended his hand. "Will you let me help you?"

She looked up at him dully. "Where were you when I _really_ needed your help?"

It cut him, but he deserved it, and he bowed his head in acknowledgment of that fact. "If I had interfered, it would only have made things worse." He offered his hand again. "Please. Let me help now."

She continued to look up at him, and after a few hesitant moments she allowed him to clasp her hand and raise her to her feet. Guiding her to the nearby chair, he righted it, then indicated she should sit. She did so without speaking, watching incuriously as he held up the key. "I am going to remove these shackles now," he explained, even though it was obvious what he was about to do. Still, women who had just been ravished were vulnerable to misunderstanding a man, any man's, actions around her, no matter how innocent.

He reached down and carefully unlocked the manacle, allowing it to fall to the floor with a slight clank. Then he just as carefully removed the fur he'd wrapped around her ankle earlier that day. There was still some chafing, no doubt because she didn't strike him as the type to sit still for very long, but it could have been worse.

A knock came at the door and Katara tensed, but Iroh strode over to it and opened it just a crack. Just wide enough for a small bundle of items to be thrust into his waiting hands. Then he closed it again and turned back to her. "I understand you are a Water Bender."

She looked away, a stubborn expression on her face, and he had to stifle an impulse to smile. She reminded him very much of his nephew right now, but he had a feeling she would not appreciate the comparison.

"Very well," he sighed. "Do not answer. But Prince Zuko knows what he witnessed. It will make you an even more valuable hostage." He placed the bundle by her feet. "Here are some clothes from your belongings." Belongings that had been packed up after the treaty was signed, examined carefully for weapons, then repacked by one of the Fire Nation sailors into a small wooden trunk. They were few; several sets of winter furs she would have no further use for, a few changes of outer and under clothing, some shoes and boots, hairbrush and comb, the usual. A humble package, but all she would have to remind her of her past.

"If you give me your word that you will not use it as a weapon, I will also have a fresh basin of water brought for your use."

She remained stubbornly silent, and Iroh once again repressed the urge to smile. "Very well. I will still have the basin brought in."

He went back to the door, beckoning for the sailor holding the bowl of water to bring it to the door. It was tricky, getting the shallow container through the narrow width Iroh was willing to create, but he managed without spilling so much as a single drop. He placed it next to the pile of clothing, then stood up, looking down at their prisoner.

"This cabin is yours now. Later, when you have had time to dress and clean yourself, someone will come to remove my nephew's belongings." He studied her, waiting for her reaction.

It wasn't long in coming. Her lips twisted bitterly. "What, he got what he wanted out of me so now he doesn't want to be near me?"

"No, he feels guilty for allowing his rage to overcome his common sense." She was surprised by that, he saw it in her eyes, but she quickly looked down and away. No doubt to hide her confusion. "When the inner fire of a Fire Bender takes control, it takes a strong will to wrestle it back into submission. You must not judge my nephew by his actions today," he added, although he couldn't tell if his words were getting through to her or not. "I do not ask you to forgive him, nor to forget, but I do ask you to try and understand."

That elicited a snort of contempt and a sharp turn of her head away from him, for which he could hardly blame her. "We are leaving," he said after a long, silent moment, unsure of his motives in telling her any of this.

She met his eyes for the first time. "Where are we going?"

"Back to the Fire Nation," he replied. "We have determined there is no use searching for the Avatar with just one ship at our disposal. The Fire Lord will want to hear the report of our failure in person."

"So Zuko gets to go home anyway," Katara said, her voice filled with contempt. "He said he couldn't do that if he didn't bring Aang with him."

"Ah, so that is the Avatar's name; it is good to know," Iroh said, watching as Katara stuffed her fist against her mouth, eyes wide with horror at her careless slip. "And Zuko was correct; he will not be welcome with such news. He was sent into exile, and his only hope of redeeming himself in his father's eyes was to capture or kill the Avatar. Aang," he corrected himself, watching her flinch at his use of the Air Bender's name. "My brother will not be pleased."

"Good," Katara spat out, blue eyes shining with anger. "Zuko deserves whatever punishment his father decides to give him."

"Even death?" Her eyes widened in shock at that quietly asked question. Iroh didn't wait for a response, just turned and walked out the door.


	3. Troublesome Minds

Katara sat huddled on the chair for a long time after Iroh left. So Zuko was likely to be killed when he got home, for failing to produce the Avatar. Good. After what he'd done to her, he deserved every punishment his father could heap on him. Death was the least of what he deserved.

She knuckled tears away from her eyes; when had she started crying again? What was done was done, and nothing she could do would change things. Zuko's stricken face flashed across her consciousness again, but she shook her head to clear the image, not ready to face the thought that he might really be as horrified by his actions as she was.

Nor was she willing to think about his uncle's almost apologetic attempt at rationalizing his nephew's actions away. The contemptible coward had raped a chained prisoner, he'd hit her, he'd…she buried her face in her hands, then shook her head violently. No, no; she absolutely wasn't going to let herself think about it. Not now, maybe not ever. It had happened, it was over; she would allow herself to be grateful that Zuko apparently didn't intend to repeat his abuse of her body, at least for now.

She turned to the bowl of water sitting on the floor next to her. Water Bending masters could use such a small basin as a weapon, turning water to ice and hurling frozen daggers into their foes' hearts. Or so she'd heard. It had been so long since a Water Bender had been seen in the Southern Polar regions, so long since anyone had risked traveling to the North Pole, that stories of what Water Benders could and could not do could only be partly believed at best.

For now, all she could do was take a fragment of her torn clothing and dip it in the water, lowering it with shaking hands to the drying blood on her thighs and at the apex of legs and torso, wiping away the visible signs of her shame. That bastard had taken the one thing that was Katara's alone to give, ripped it away from her in a moment of fury, and for what? So he could prove himself better than her, take revenge for her cheating him of his true prize, the Avatar?

She hated him, the way she'd never hated anyone since the Fire Nation soldier who'd taken her mother away from her, even more than she hated the unknown soldiers who'd killed her father four years ago, leaving her brother Sokka to take over as Chief years before he was ready.

She'd only been away from her home and brother for a few short days, and already it felt like a lifetime.

**oOo**

Zuko shoved open the door the enlisted men's bunk room. Ignoring the startled looks of the others in the room, he shrugged out of his coat. "I'm bunking here for the duration of the trip," he growled, still without looking at any of the men. "If there aren't enough beds I'll switch off with someone on the day shift. Or the night shift, whatever."

"Setkuzi was killed during the last mission, Your Highness," one of the soldiers ventured after a moment. He indicated the bunk above the one he was sitting on. "His bunk is free."

"Thanks." Zuko stalked over to it, dropping his coat onto the foot of the bed before swinging himself up onto the hard mattress. Laying his hands behind his head, he closed his eyes and turned his face toward the wall. "Go back to whatever you were doing, and if it was gossiping about me, take it outside."

Low-voiced conversations started up after a long, silent moment, but no one left the room. The soldier whose bunk lay beneath Zuko's went back to patching his armor, and slowly but surely the men returned to whatever they'd been doing before.

Everything except gossiping about the Fire Lord's disgraced son, and the actions he'd taken against their Water Tribe hostage that afternoon. That had been the main topic of discussion, not just in this room but in officer's quarters, by the deckhands and cooks and myriad others on board the small ship. The only ones not talking about were probably the Prince, his uncle, and the girl herself. And the topic would creep back into conversation when Zuko left, of that there was no doubt.

He'd chosen to move in with the enlisted men rather than any of the officers, or even his uncle, for reasons that weren't really clear to him at the moment. _"Most of the men have done what you just did, and worse."_ His uncle's words came back to him; perhaps that was why. Officers usually held themselves above such actions, or so it had been in his experience. But they also tended to turn a blind eye to their whatever the soldiers did during or in the immediate aftermath of a successful battle.

"_Most of the men have done what you just did, and worse."_

That wasn't entirely true, and Iroh knew it. He would never allow such actions by men under his command. But this wasn't his command, it was Zuko's. He scowled, clenching his fists, remembering at the last second to tamp down the growing flame within; burning the ship around him wouldn't be a very good idea. Not that he'd exactly showered himself with glory today, but that sort of loss of control, in the heat of anger, was one thing; letting self-disgust get the better of him would be just as damaging.

He felt the movement of the ship as it got under way, per his orders. If he never saw the cursed South Polar regions again it would be too soon. If he could have just dumped Katara over the side, to make her way back home again, he would have done that, too. Iroh might have been willing to look the other way if he did so, but no one else would; whispers would start that the prince was soft, and he had enough problems without adding to them. Besides, if she found her way back to that wretched little slum of a village she called home, her hot-head of a brother would take it as a sign that the Fire Nation could be defied, and another pacification detail would have to clean up Zuko's mess.

No, letting the water-bitch go was out of the question. He felt his hands curling back into fists as his mind flashed images of her behind his resolutely shut eyes: her face when she'd been told she was being taken back to the Fire Nation as a hostage, the way she lied so easily to him about the whereabouts of the Avatar…and the horror and hatred on her face when he came back to himself after assaulting her. His actions had been unforgivable, not that he sought out the forgiveness of someone who'd lied to him, not only about the Avatar, but by concealing her Water Bending abilities.

Still, it was her face that haunted his dreams that night, that kept him tossing restlessly until the wee hours, and it was her face that remained on his mind all the next day as he busied himself with whatever he could find that needed doing. He kept himself away from his former cabin; the only person he allowed near the door besides the guard was his uncle and a young steward, a boy too young to shave who nonetheless took his duties seriously, even if they included seeing to the needs of the ship's one prisoner.

More than once he felt his uncle's eye on him, and ignored it as best he could. The men still tended to fall silent whenever they believed him to be in earshot, and since that was far more often as they thought it was, he overheard bits and pieces of their murmured conversations. Sometimes it was about him, and sometimes it wasn't. From what he heard, however, he gathered that no one thought he'd done anything particularly wrong. In fact, some of the older soldiers and sailors approved, acted as if Zuko had undergone some twisted initiation process by raping a prisoner who could only barely fight back.

That bothered him. More than that, it made him feel physically ill, to the point that at dinner that night he asked his uncle about it, after he'd vowed never to bring up the subject again. "How can they act so…so _approvingly_?" He shoved his plate of food aside, unable to bear the thought of taking another bite. Not that he'd eaten much in the first place, but what little appetite he had was driven away by the way Katara's face kept rising in his mind's eye, unbidden and decidedly unwelcome.

Iroh continued eating, his face an imperturbable mask. Once he finished his meal, he wiped his lips and gave a sigh of satisfaction. "Cook has done an excellent job," he noted. "Please be sure to send him my appreciation." That comment was directed at the Captain, who recognized a request for privacy when he heard one. Murmuring something about letting Cook know, he rose from his seat, bowed to Iroh and Zuko, then headed out the door of the private dining area he shared with them.

Once alone, Iroh gazed at Zuko with a concerned expression on his face. "Why would they not?" he asked gently. "As I told you, many of them, if not most of them, have done much worse. They consider it a simple fact of life. Life during war," he amended. "What men do in war is often in direct contradiction to what they would do in times of peace."

"Yeah, well we haven't seen times of peace in over a hundred years," Zuko shot back. "So what happens to a nation under those circumstances? What if it's impossible to turn back to peaceful ways? Then what?"

"Complicated questions such as those require much thought before answering," Iroh admitted, although he was privately pleased to hear his nephew voicing such philosophical thoughts. He already knew the lad was horrified by his own actions; now he was pondering the underlying state of mind that gave rise to such actions, in a way his father never would. Good.

"So that means you don't know, either," Zuko replied, drumming his fingers on the table top. He nodded as if that answer, or non-answer, pleased him in some way. Or at least was found to be acceptable. "I'll see you in the morning." He rose abruptly to his feet, bowed, and hurried out the door.

Iroh sat there for a long time afterward, contemplating the twists and turns his nephew's life was taking. After attacking Katara the way he did, his uncle almost despaired of him, was almost ready to write the lad off as too much his father's son after all, but this conversation, brief though it was, and his immediate reaction to what he'd done yesterday, were encouraging.

Perhaps Zuko could still be saved, the way his sister most definitely could not.

Only time would tell.


	4. Sea Changes

**One Month Later**

Zuko was busy straightening up the armory when the ship's captain sought him out. The last storm had tossed them around quite a bit. Fortunately no major damage had been incurred, but it was the third storm in a row they'd encountered in the last two weeks.

If he didn't know any better, he'd suspect their resident Water Bender of whistling up the series of storms they'd been weathering, but if she was that powerful, there was no way she'd still be their prisoner. There was no way any Bender of power would have allowed some crazed idiot to…

He shoved his mind away from that line of thought, focusing instead on whatever it was Captain Tsaoling had to say. He came to his feet when his uncle entered the room hard on the captain's heels; whatever was going on, it must be important.

Tsaoling bowed, then returned to his full height. His hair and beard were liberally sprinkled with gray; not as much as Uncle, but certainly well on the way there. The major difference between both men, hair-wise, was that Uncle was starting to bald and Tsaoling showed no signs of doing so. Otherwise the two men were built along the same lines and even shared a similar temperament. "My lord, we've received word that the Avatar has been sighted in the Earth Kingdom, near Ba-Sing-Se."

"The Impenetrable City?" Zuko's eyebrow rose at that revelation. "If he gets in there, there'll be no getting him out again." He scowled, then turned thoughtful. At least this seemed like a credible Avatar sighting. The boy's blue arrow tattoos were pretty distinctive, and for some reason he seemed disinclined to disguise himself.

"There have been rumors that your sister intends to attack in the near future," Iroh reported. "The messenger hawk was heavily laden with coded messages," he added, holding up a fistful of miniature scrolls in demonstration. "The captain and I just finished decoding the last of them."

"If we continue on our present course, we will come very close to the Earth Kingdom coastline," Tsaoling continued. "A very small detour will take us to a cove where we can send a force inland to search. Otherwise we miss any chance we have of capturing the Avatar."

"We've already missed our chance," Zuko replied, but he glanced at his uncle. "What's the point of chasing him around the Earth Kingdom?"

"The point, nephew, would appear to be an opportunity to complete the mission we were assigned," Iroh said in his most diplomatic voice. "It is, however, your decision as to whether or not we make the attempt."

Zuko took two swift steps toward the porthole, leaning his arm against the cool glass surface and gazing out at the ocean. "Fine," he said after a long moment. "We'll try once more to find him. But if this turns into another wild goose-duck chase, then we turn around and head back to the Fire Nation to report our failure to my father." His lips twisted in a bitter smile. "Don't worry, I'll be taking full responsibility for that failure."

"Should it occur," Iroh corrected him softly.

"Should it occur," Zuko agreed, but didn't bother looking around. Nor did he need to in order for his uncle to recognize the defeat that would be showing in his nephew's eyes.

Still, his willingness to continue the search meant that he hadn't completely given up hope, and that was the best Iroh could hope for at the moment. He had his own plans, and returning to the Fire Nation so Ozai could kill them both wasn't part of those plans.

Saving the Avatar and Prince Zuko was.

**oOo**

Katara peered out of the small porthole, trying to see how close to land they were. The steward, or cabin boy, whatever his title was, Kato, said they were heading for land, but didn't know why.

She'd become friendly with the youngster, partly out of boredom and partly because he had a genuinely friendly personality. "I'm probably not supposed to tell you stuff, but no one told me not to, so if I feel like it, I will," he'd said defiantly the third day after That Day. He lowered his voice confidentially, even though the door was firmly closed on the two of them as he picked up her lunch dishes. "Prince Zuko was sick at his stomach the day he, well, you know. That Day."

Katara's only comment had been "Good," but Kato persisted and she found herself weakening in her resolve to give not so much as the time of day to any member of the Fire Nation ever again. Besides, Kato was too young to have participated in any of the atrocities she was ready to believe the others capable of. And besides that, he was the only one who came to see her besides Lord Iroh, who was unfailingly polite and even sympathetic but who refused to let her out of the room.

The one visitor she was doubly glad not to see was Prince Zuko. Kato had carted out the prince's belongings over the course of an afternoon, leaving the room with a clean bunk, empty drawers into which she was invited to place her own belongings (she refused), a table and chair, and that was it.

Truth be told, she'd even thawed to Iroh a bit when he brought her some parchment and charcoals to draw or write on, whatever she wanted, and some of his personal scrolls for her to read when she admitted to going out of her mind with boredom.

The only thing she was never left unsupervised while in possession of was, naturally, water. Iroh waited for her to finish her morning ablutions, behind a screen provided for just that, Kato and the soldier guarding her door kept an eye on her while drinking anything, and the porthole was nailed shut and examined carefully every day for signs of tampering.

Since she lacked the tools to do any such tampering, the porthole always looked exactly the same as it had the day before; she fantasized that they'd eventually forget about it so that one day she might actually be able to pry it open and escape, but so far that hadn't happened. She marked the days on one sheet of parchment and knew it had been a month.

And now Kato said they were heading for shore, and she held firmly to the thought of escape. Especially now, when she had yet another secret she was hiding from them all.

Water Benders never got seasick; that was a fact she knew beyond any doubt. She'd been on sailing vessels large and small her entire life, and the rhythm of the waves, no matter how hard or gentle, felt as natural as breathing to her.

That had changed over the past few weeks, especially during the series of storms they'd been plagued by, and now that her Moon Cycle was late, she understood why.

She had to escape and be far from Zuko's reach before he realized she was carrying his child.

* * *

_A/N: I know, it's a cliche for Zuko and Katara to have a pre-marital baby, but at least this time Katara got to figure it out on her own, rather than having someone else tell her about it! :) I just can't help upping the ante._


	5. Nor Iron Bars A Jail

_A/N: A brief (okay, longish) diversion from the main story, but a necessary one. Can't leave the Avatar out there twisting in the wind! More Zutara next chapter...or at least, more Zuko and/or Katara next chapter. The Zutaraness will not really be happening for a while in this story, unless Katara becomes more forgiving than she currently feels. :)_

* * *

**Ba Sing Se**

Personally, the Avatar really, _really_ hated the world he'd awoken to. Well, the first two years hadn't been so bad, if you didn't mind the cold. At least the company had been better. Way, way better. Especially Katara; he'd had such a crush on the older girl when he first met her, but even as a naïve twelve-year-old he'd known his chances with her were exactly zero. Wistfully he imagined how it might have gone if she'd been, say, four years younger when they met; two years' difference wouldn't have been as big a barrier as four…

"May as well wish for the Moon Goddess while you're at it," he muttered dejectedly. "Might as well wish you hadn't been in this stupid dungeon for the past week, either."

He leaned his head back against the cold metal wall with a groan. So much for seeking aid from the Impenetrable City. The only help he'd gotten was help into his current predicament. Who knew what had happened to Appa; the bison had at least been able to fly off at Aang's urging before the Dai Li and Long Feng had managed to catch and imprison him.

"Maybe I should've stopped at Gaoling first, like I was going to" he said, continuing to speak aloud for the first time in days. His voice sounded strange to him.

Even stranger was the fact that a muffled voice actually answered him. "Yeah, that would've been a good idea."

Aang jumped to his feet, looking around wildly. "Who's there?" he demanded.

"Pipe down, do you want the guards to know you've got someone to talk to?" the voice snapped back, sounding irritated. And female. He pinned it down a little better; it came from the wall behind him, the one he was chained to, rather than from the door as he'd first assumed. "Better back up a little, Pipsqueak; I'd rather not have to find someone to patch you up after going to all this trouble to rescue you."

Aang backed as far away from the metal wall of the cell as the chains on his ankles would allow him to, crouching into an Air Bending stance, not sure what to expect from that imperious voice.

There was a squeal of stressed metal, a quick, high-pitched shriek that no human throat could have managed, and the wall bulged outward at head-height and cracked open. Aang's eyes almost bulged out of their sockets; he'd never seen anything like it, and half expected some kind of tool to poke through the opening.

What poked through, however, was a person's head. A young, female person's head. Her hands quickly followed, pushing the metal aside as if it were paper. When the opening was wide enough for him to see her entire, green-clad, dust-covered body, she beckoned him forward after listening to see if anyone had, indeed, heard the unavoidable noise she'd made.

Aang stepped closer, the chains on his ankles clanking. His rescuer frowned, bent down and fingered the two sets of heavy metal lengths. "Come on," she urged in a low whisper. "No one's close by but I know they check in on you every couple of hours. We need to get a head start before someone sounds the alarm."

He hurried to her side, watching in fascination as she reached down and literally tore the heavy steel manacles from his ankles. As the weights fell away he felt an incredible sense of lightness settle over his entire body; if he could have, he would have taken to the air in relief. He made do instead by hugging his unexpected rescuer tightly. "Thank you. Thank you so much."

She pushed him away, her cheeks red with embarrassment. "Yeah, yeah, great, you're welcome. Now let's get out of here." She pulled him through the newly made opening into a small cave-like area. "Gotta get this fixed up so no one can follow us," she explained as she took what Aang recognized as an Earth Bending stance. "No time to make it pretty, but they're gonna know you're gone anyway," she added with a shrug.

"Who are you?" he started to ask, only to have her shush him as she concentrated on the task at hand.

Aang watched, fascinated, as she reached out and literally shoved the two sides of jagged metal towards each other, smoothing the rough edges together until the dim light from the torch near the door of his cell winked out of existence, leaving them in complete blackness. "Got a torch?" he asked belatedly.

"Nope, but I don't need one," the girl replied, sounding confident. "Just hold onto my shoulders and I'll lead you out of here."

"Uh, Okay, if you're sure," he said, trying not to sound too doubtful. After all the girl, who looked to be about his age, had not only single-handedly rescued him from his cell but had used some sort of unknown form of Bending to do so; he had a feeling she could manage to lead him out of here if she said she could.

"I'm sure." He felt her moving in the darkness, tugging at his arms and waist until he maneuvered himself to her satisfaction, standing directly behind her, his hands resting firmly on her shoulders.

"Thanks," he said simply, then reflexively looked behind him (useless). "Do we need to seal this up behind us or anything?"

"Don't worry, I'll be taking care of that as we go along," she was her cheerful reply. "Hop to it, Avatar; we don't want anyone noticing you're missing right away."

So she knew who he was, which put her at yet another advantage. "Well, okay. Thanks again," he added, doing his best to match his steps to hers to avoid stepping on her ankles. "Mind if I ask you who you are, or does that sound too ungrateful?"

She chuckled. "In certain circles I'm known as The Blind Bandit," she said, confusing him no end. "But you can call me Toph. Pleased to meetcha."

"Same here," Aang replied fervently. "You have no idea how pleased."

She chuckled again, a pleasant sound that echoed in the darkness.

Aang stumbled a few times, unable to fully keep his balance in the unending blackness of the tunnel Toph was both creating in front of them and closing up behind them as they walked. He hadn't realized how much he relied on his sense of sight to maintain his equilibrium, and he finally closed his eyes when he realized he was straining them by constantly searching for the tiniest glimmer of non-existent light.

It felt like hours passed before Toph came to a stop. She expanded the stone bubble around them enough for them to sit and rest, unslinging a water skin from her shoulder; Aang had felt the strap beneath his fingers and wondered aloud what it was earlier in their journey. "Time for a rest, Pipsqueak," she said, her voice as unfazed and cheerful as it had been back at Aang's cell.

He dropped to his heels, panting and rubbing at his eyes, rolling his cramped shoulders to ease as much of the strain of holding them in position as he could. "How do you do it?" he wondered. "We've been walking forever and you know exactly where we're going." He hesitated as a thought hit him. "Um, you do know where we're going, right?"

"Of course I do." Great, now he'd offended her. Before he could offer up an apology, however, she went on: "It's part of Earth Bending. Don't worry, I'll teach you. You sort of sense the direction you're going, kind of like I do all the time."

"All the time?"

She gave an impatient sigh. "Remember? The Blind Bandit? I can't see even if there is light."

"Oh." That shut him up. He'd already been impressed by her solo rescue effort; to know that she was completely blind in the permanent sense made it even more impressive. "How did you know I was in there? And why did you come after me?"

"Because I've been following you," was her surprising answer. Almost as surprising as the defensive tone in which she spoke, as if she was worried about reaction to her words. "There was a rumor the Avatar was coming to Gaoling, that you were in the Earth Kingdom looking for a teacher, so I was all set to check you out, but instead you came here." He could practically hear the scowl in her voice. "So I decided to follow you, because I was determined not to miss out on the chance to meet the Avatar."

"Well, Ba Sing Se_ is_ the capital," Aang offered in explanation, knowing even as he spoke how weak she would find it. "I figured all the best Earth Benders would be here."

She gave an unladylike snort of disdain. "That was your first mistake," she stated, so firmly that he knew that she didn't consider it an opinion. "Your second mistake was trusting Long Feng to do right by you. He has this city by the short hairs and he won't tolerate anyone getting in his way. Even the Avatar. What's your name, by the way?" she asked in an abrupt change of tone. "That's the one rumor about you I never heard."

"It's Aang," he replied, feeling a bit overwhelmed by the flood of information Toph had just unleashed.

"Nice to meet you, Aang. You ready to finish this walk? We should be back out in an hour or so."

He stood up, trusting her to sense his movement in the continued darkness. "Then we'd better get going." He shuddered. "The sooner we get out of Ba Sing Se, the better," he muttered.

He reached out to place his hand on Toph's shoulder, but managed to nearly smack her in the face instead. "What makes you think we're leaving?" she demanded angrily.

"Uh, we're not?" he asked. Why did he always feel confused around this girl? "I mean, the reason I came was to find an Earth Bending teacher, and, well, it sounds like you're volunteering, so I just figured we'd be heading back to Gaoling."

"Not until we take care of Long Feng," she said. "I've figured out a few things since I've been here, and one of them is that the Earth King doesn't have a clue what's going on in the world outside the city walls. Hell, he doesn't have a clue what's going on inside his own palace!" Aang heard her take a deep, shuddering breath. "None of which makes any difference if we don't get out of here undetected," she concluded, her voice back to its normal, calm tones. "So let's get moving. We can talk strategy and tactics after." She turned around, hauling Aang's hands up to her shoulders.

He followed, deep in thought. He hadn't intended to get involved in politics, at least not until he had more than Air Bending and rudimentary Water Bending under his belt. In fact, he'd been avoiding it all along, if he was being honest with himself. Otherwise he wouldn't have lingered in the South Pole for so long, especially after it became apparent he'd learned everything Katara, in her limited experience as a Water Bender, could teach him.

Oh, she'd offered to find a way to get him up to the North Pole, to find a Water Bender there that hadn't been killed or captured by the Fire Nation, but he'd put off making a decision until it was too late. Until one day he found himself fleeing on Appa's back at top speed while Katara and Sokka dealt with the Fire Nation prince who'd discovered his presence somehow.

He found himself telling Toph about his life since he'd been freed from the ice, about how devastated he'd been to discover that everyone and everything he'd ever known was gone. Except Appa, and he struggled to explain his bond to the flying bison to Toph, who listened without comment until he finally wound to a stop. "So I ended up here, Long Feng pretended to want to help me, but all he really wanted was to keep me from seeing the Earth King and upsetting the precious status quo." He didn't bother to hide the bitterness from his voice at that. "Then he threw me in jail and told me he had 'plans' but never explained what they were."

"He was probably secretly negotiating with the Fire Kingdom, getting ready to trade you to them for some kind of immunity from attack," Toph said indifferently.

That stopped Aang in his tracks. "What?!?" he demanded, incredulous.

Toph yanked his hands back onto her shoulders. "Keep walking, Pipsqueak," she ordered.

"I am," Aang protested. "And stop calling me pipsqueak, I'm taller than you are," he muttered peevishly.

"Fine, whatever," Toph said with an exaggerated sigh. "Look, you're the Avatar. That makes you a valuable commodity in Long Feng's eyes. Hell, in almost anyone's eyes! You're just lucky that Water Tribe girl and her brother found you instead of, say, anyone else. They could have contacted the Fire Nation as soon as they thawed you out and negotiated a deal that would have left them a whole lot better off than they probably are now."

More food for thought. Aang had been hiding from the world, and all the world seemed to want to do was yank him into the open and force him to do whatever it wanted. He scowled. The metaphor wasn't perfect, but he knew what he meant.

The silence remained unbroken between them until suddenly Toph came to a halt. "Okay, we're here," she said in a low voice, shrugging his hands off her shoulders. "Stand back while I make an opening and check to make sure we're alone."

"How can you do that?" Aang objected. "You can't see!"

"Sight isn't the only sense," was her retort. "I can feel vibrations, sense the heartbeats of anyone nearby, stuff like that."

"And bend metal," Aang added, remembering her impressive use of that unknown skill. "How'd you learn to do that, anyway?"

"Another question for later. Right now we need to get out of here and get back to my place."

"Right." Aang backed up against the wall that had just reformed behind him and closed his eyes; the light, no matter how dim, was bound to be painful after all that darkness. "Just let me check around after you do, once my eyes adjust to the light. You know, to see if there's anyone out of range of your senses but still visible."

"Good idea." Toph sounded surprised, and Aang repressed a surge of resentment; after all, he'd done nothing to show her what he was capable of. Except getting captured, of course. And running away. And losing his flying bison…he clamped down on the depressing litany of his failures; it wasn't going to do either of them any good for him to start wallowing in self-pity.

He felt the sunlight burst into their hiding place at the same time that he heard the stone grind and separate. It felt wonderful, but he refrained from opening his eyes just yet. Instead he turned his head and cupped his hands around his eyes.

It took a few minutes, longer than he'd hoped, before the tears stopped streaming down his cheeks and his vision finally cleared enough for him to join Toph at the opening she'd made. It was a clean, horizontal slit in the stone wall, slightly below eye-level for him. Toph moved aside as he joined her and crouched down enough to take a cautious look around.

No one. The opening was in a wall at the end of a narrow alley, and he had a clear view straight to the open street ahead of them. "Looks clear," he whispered.

"Sounds and feels clear, too," Toph agreed, keeping her voice low. "Time to give up the life of Badger Moles and head back to my place." She gave an unexpected chuckle. "Man, what I wouldn't give to see the looks on my parents' faces if they ever heard me say that to a guy!"

Aang blushed, for no particular reason, although now that he had a good look at her he could see that Toph was pretty, even with dirt and sweat streaking her face. Impulsively he reached up and wiped her forehead clean. "Don't want to attract too much attention," he said when she pulled away in surprise.

"Oh." For once Toph seemed to be at a loss for words. She brushed at her clothing, then slammed her hands together and shuddered. Every bit of loose dirt and dust flung itself from her body and clothing, falling to the floor. Aang brushed at himself as best he could, vowing to learn _that_ particular move from his new teacher as soon as possible.

Toph widened the opening enough for them to squeeze through one at a time, then closed it behind them. Aang studied her every move, admiring the way she left not so much as a crack to show that the wall had been breached in the first place.

He felt like his life had been nothing but a series of dizzying changes, one after another, but took comfort in the fact that this time the change was for the better. He resolved to enjoy his freedom, no matter how short-lived it might turn out to be.

Especially if, as he suspected, Toph was about to drag him into something he wasn't ready to deal with: politics.


	6. Shock and Awe

**Anchored Near the Earth Kingdom**

Katara frowned in concentration, gesturing toward the ocean she could sense just outside her deck-top cabin. She used moves she'd known since childhood, attempting to manipulate the ocean waves. The best she was able to manage was to splash her port-hole with a few extra droplets of moisture. "Wow, real impressive," she muttered despondently as she dropped her hands back to her sides.

Still, it was progress, more progress than she'd made in years. Too bad she needed to make better progress if she was going to do anything about her current situation. Scowling, she turned away from the window and plopped onto the bunk. Even knowing Zuko had slept there couldn't keep her away from it, the most comfortable bed she'd ever tried. Besides, it had been stripped and the mattress turned the same day Zuko's personal belongings had been taken away, new sheets appearing in a neatly folded bundle and offered to her for her use by Lord Iroh.

Kato had informed her earlier that morning that the Prince and his uncle had gone ashore in search of news of the Avatar, taking only a token force of men with them. He'd even deigned to allow them to go in disguise, since the Fire Nation's control of this area was spotty at best. "Ruling the world must be really tough," she muttered sardonically as she contemplated the low ceiling above the built-in bed. She hated the red silk hangings and blankets, wishing with all her heart that she had the ability to magically turn them a different color.

She turned on her side, determined to take another nap to pass the time when the sound of urgent shouting from the deck outside brought her bolt upright. She sprang to her feet and ran over to the door, pressing her ear against it in hopes of finding out what was going on.

A sound like thunder boomed through the atmosphere, shaking the door and the deck beneath her feet, and Katara realized with a thrill of horror that they were under attack. Her first thought was that they'd been discovered by hostile Earth Nation forces, but a passing sailor shouted something about it being Princess Azula's warship. Well, Zuko's uncle had said he was in trouble for not bringing back the Avatar; was this a sign of his father's displeasure at that failure?

The artillery continued to rain down on the hapless warship, raising splashes as it hit the water and more thundering booms as it struck the ship itself. The deck once again shuddered beneath her and she nearly lost her footing. Once again she heard yelling and the sound of running feet pounding past her door, and hammered on it with her fists. "Hey! Let me out of here!" she shouted as she realized the ship could be sunk around her. Water Bender or not, she had no desire to test her ability to swim away from the burning wreckage of an iron-clad Fire Nation warship.

Either no one heard her or they were too busy defending the ship to answer her calls. The next shot did knock her off her feet; she landed painfully on her back and shoulder but managed to avoid hitting her head. Half-crawling, she edged away from the door, eyeing the room's meager contents, looking for something, anything, she could use to batter or pry her way out of here.

The sound of artillery sizzling through the air, the crack of timbers and sound of splintering metal, the smell of smoke and ozone, then everything went black.

**oOo**

"Prince Zuko! Our ship! It's under attack!"

Zuko and Iroh whirled around to stare disbelievingly at the ship they'd left so peacefully at anchor only a few short hours ago. They had reached the crest of a small hill and were just settling in for a quick meal when the sentry sounded the alarm. Zuko held out his hand and the other man hastily unhooked the binoculars from around his neck and handed the device to the prince.

Zuko stared through it, offering a running monotone commentary on what he was seeing. "It's my sister's ship. I see her emblem flying." The men listened in silence, sharing uneasy glances as Zuko continued to speak: "Captain Tsaoling is raising a flag of surrender." A long pause. "She's ignoring it, still firing on our ship." He cursed and dropped the binoculars, turning to glare at his uncle. "It's just like her to swoop in for the kill without regard for innocent lives!" Smoke curled from his fisted hands, and Iroh placed a warning hand on his nephew's shoulder.

"There is nothing we can do for the ship or our men now," he counseled, speaking as much for the small group of soldiers with them as for his nephew. "Anyone who survives will either be taken prisoner or killed, depending on your sister's mood."

Left unsaid was the fact that her mood was bound to take a turn for the worse once she realized her prey had escaped the bombardment, that she'd essentially destroyed a Fire Nation warship for nothing. If nothing else, Ozai would not be pleased at the waste of resources.

This time Iroh held out a hand, and Zuko silently handed over the binoculars. He listened stoically as his uncle described the continued bombardment. "The men are beginning to abandon ship," he announced after a few moments. "Some appear to be heading for shore, while others seem to be attempting to throw themselves on your sister's mercy."

"More fools they," Zuko growled, but Iroh heard the very real pain in his nephew's voice. Whatever war atrocities his men had committed, they were still his men, still under his command, and they didn't deserve to die because his demented sister didn't know the meaning of the word subtle. "She could have just pulled up alongside and demanded that the captain turn us over to her," he said, his voice hoarse with rage and restrained tears. "Why couldn't she just do the simple, honorable thing for once in her misbegotten life?"

In minutes it was over. Only when their ship was a burning, sinking hulk did the shelling stop. Only then did smaller boats detach themselves from the warship; at least they appeared to be pulling survivors out of the water.

Small comfort.

"Wh-what do we do now, Prince Zuko?"

Zuko ignored the man who'd asked the question, a young recruit on his first mission, continuing to stare out toward the distant cove where his ship smoldered in ruins. So much for his father giving him time to complete the mission he'd been sent on; Azula's presence and her actions meant only one thing. He and his uncle had been sentenced to death for their failure even before they were allowed to return and face the consequences on their own terms.

"Prince Zuko and I must consult before we decide on a course of action," Iroh was saying, keeping his tones stoic.

At his words, Zuko whirled around to face the group of ten men. "There's nothing to consult about," he said with a glare. "I'm continuing on to Ba Sing Se. We still have the Avatar to find."

"Then I will accompany you," Iroh replied, as if he'd been expecting that answer all along. Which, knowing his penchant for planning for every contingency, Zuko suspected he did. "You men can either return to the shore and report our desertion to the Princess Azula, or you may accompany us. Or," he added, his tone softening, "if you wish you can simply go off on your own and find your way back to the Fire Nation or wherever else you choose to go. The decision is yours."

One of the men shouldered his way to the front of the group, glaring sullenly at the two noblemen. "And what if we decide to take you back to Azula ourselves?" His hand went to his sword handle, and Zuko automatically took a Fire Bending stance, meeting the other man glare for glare.

"I would not wish your life to end in so foolish an endeavor," Iroh put in smoothly. Somehow, his bland face and relaxed stance was more threatening than his nephew's more aggressive posture. Iroh made sure to meet the eyes of every man there. "Do you truly wish to take us on?"

The speaker glanced uneasily over his shoulder; none of his comrades had joined him in reaching for weapons or taking up Fire Bending stances, and his shoulders slumped as he realized no one was willing to go up against Prince Zuko and the fabled Dragon of the West. "We'll take our chances with the Princess," he ground out, glancing around once more. As one the rest of the men nodded their agreement.

Zuko and Iroh stood silently by as the men filed past them, headed back for the cove and the small boat that had carried them to shore. No one mentioned the fact that their safest course lay in betraying Zuko and Iroh's current whereabouts and ultimate destination to Azula at the earliest possible instance, but both men assumed that was exactly what would happen. Neither one moved to stop any of the others.

When they were completely out of sight, swallowed up by the forest, Zuko turned toward his uncle. "You should have gone with them," he ground out. "It's me Azula really wants to kill."

"Do not flatter yourself," Iroh replied. "Believe me, your father would be happy to be presented with my corpse as well. Even finding the Avatar may not redeem us at this point," he felt constrained to point out. "Not if Ozai has sent your sister to retrieve us; even he must realize that Azula would take the first opportunity to kill us herself rather than return us to the Fire Nation to face trial and execution."

"I know, but I have to try," Zuko said as he turned his back on the direction of the coast. Iroh fell into step beside him as they made their way back down the side of the hill. "I swore I would bring him back or die trying. If Azula wants to kill me, she's going to have to find me first."

* * *

_A/N: Sorry for the delay, but it was Thanksgiving. And my grandfather lives in a computer-free zone. Besides, there was Black Friday shopping to do... What? Enough excuses? You're absolutely right. Please let me know what you thought of this action-y chapter. Told you you'd see Zuko and Katara again this time around!_


	7. Katara Alone

Her head hurt. That was the first thing she noticed. Her head. And her neck. Her arms, her legs…everything hurt, a dull, overall ache that she hadn't realized because the pain in her head was so overwhelming.

Her eyes opened a slit; the light was blinding, increasing the pain in her head so that she clenched them shut again. Gradually she realized she was hearing voices, the words washing over her consciousness in meaningless fragments, the speakers as unrecognizable as the things they were saying.

"..wake up soon…"

"…not kill her? Just another Water Tribe peasant…"

"…pregnant, so what?"

"…don't care what the stupid sailors told you…Zuko?!? No way!" The sound of laughter, but without joy. "Well, well, I never thought he had it in him. Fine, she lives. For now."

Silence, blessed, wonderful, silence. She was drifting back towards unconsciousness when something cool and soothing touched her forehead, brushing back and forth in a rhythm that seemed to wash away the pain with each movement. She sighed with relief, then her eyes flew open as memory finally returned.

"Who are you?" Katara pushed herself upright, shoving at the hand that was still tracing its soothing path across her forehead. The hand, she noted dimly, was gloved somehow in water; the Bending part of her insisted that was the priority, while the rest of her, the survival mode part, insisted on knowing what exactly she'd woken up to.

She was staring at the face of a girl not much older than herself, who on paper would have met Katara's description perfectly: dark Polar complexion, long black hair, blue eyes, dressed in Water Tribe blues. But there was something about her…Katara's eyes widened as she realized what it was. "You're North Polar Water Tribe!" she blurted out. Then the Water Bending part insisted loudly that she ask the obvious question. "And you're a Bender? What were you doing to my head?"

She raised her hand automatically to that portion of her body, realizing that not only was her pain eased, it was almost completely gone. She looked again at the other girl's hand and saw that it was, indeed, water that covered it, staying in place in defiance of gravity. "How do you do that?"

"I can answer only some of your questions for now," the girl responded, glancing uneasily toward the door. "And only if you answer mine first, to confirm what the other prisoners told us."

Instantly Katara was on her guard. "Other prisoners?" she asked slowly. "So this wasn't some kind of rescue."

The other girl shook her head. "Sorry, no. You're a prisoner of Her Royal Highness, Princess Azula of the Fire Nation. As are the remaining crew from the ship you were traveling on. My name is Kya," she added.

Katara's breath caught in her throat. "That was my mother's name," she said in a low voice, her fingers automatically finding the simple choker that remained comfortingly around her throat. "And you're Northern Water Tribe?"

Kya nodded confirmation. "And yes, I'm a Bender, in personal service to Princess Azula." A trace of bitterness entered her voice at those words, as quickly repressed. "It is an honor."

Katara looked at her. "Right," was all she said. "You said you had questions for me?"

Kya nodded again, appearing grateful that Katara didn't press her on her status. Which was obviously that of hostage, the same role Katara herself was playing. "The men have told us who you are, but Princess Azula prefers to confirm things for herself. You were the hostage for your village?"

It was Katara's turn to nod, bitterness welling up that she didn't bother hiding. "Yes, my brother Sokka is chief. Prince Zuko was taking me back to the Fire Nation."

Kya bit her lip, glancing once more toward the door before leaning closer to Katara, speaking in a whisper close to her ear: "I couldn't keep all your secrets from Azula; she had to know about the baby or she would have killed you. But she doesn't know you're a Water Bender, and none of the men have mentioned it, either."

Katara stared at her, wide-eyed. "Only Iroh and Zuko knew for sure," she murmured, speaking just as quietly. "There was one guard and a cabin boy, Kato, who were told to watch me when I had water, but I overheard Iroh saying it was just a precaution, that he didn't believe I was a Bender or I'd have made a better job of my escape attempt." By doing so he'd been protecting her, she realized that now, but why?

"There was no cabin boy rescued from the wreckage or the ocean," Kya murmured back with a sad smile. "But if your guard suspected anything he's kept it to himself. Or didn't survive," she concluded, then straightened back up, speaking in a normal tone of voice and changing the subject. "I'm sorry to have to ask you this, but are you certain Prince Zuko is the father of your child?"

Ouch, nothing like getting right to the point. Katara nodded, although her mind was churning with questions of her own. Why was the Northern Water Tribe girl risking the wrath of the Fire Nation Princess by keeping Katara's secret? How did she know it, anyway? And how did she know about the baby? All questions she would have to ask later. "No one else touched me. Ever," she clarified, seeing the sympathy and understanding in the other woman's eyes.

"And was Prince Zuko on the ship when it was attacked?"

Katara shrugged. "I was told he and his uncle had gone ashore, but I don't know if they came back or not. Why _were_ we attacked?" she added curiously.

"Because my idiot brother couldn't even handle a simple retrieval mission," a new voice came from the doorway. "By failing to bring in the Avatar, his life was forfeit."

Katara turned to study the newcomer while Kya bent in a low bow, not rising until the other woman snapped her fingers as she sauntered in to study Katara through cold, golden eyes.

Her hair was in an elaborate up-do, her clothing Fire Nation reds, and she wore intricately carved, gold-decorated black and red armor over her silks. "Princess Azula," Katara guessed.

She nodded regally, glancing over at Kya. "She's well, and you're certain of your facts?"

"Yes, Your Highness," Kya responded with another low bow. "She confirms what the men told us, although of course she could be lying." Katara gathered breath for an indignant "Hey!" but managed to keep it inside; Azula didn't seem the type to tolerate interruptions.

"She could be, but I doubt it," Azula said, continuing her disconcerting examination of the captive. Katara felt like squirming but managed to keep herself still; apparently captivity was great for improving one's self-control. Then the princesses' eyes moved to Kya again. "Very well. You're dismissed."

With another bow she left the room, closing the door gently behind her. Katara considered getting to her feet, but still felt a bit woozy; it wouldn't do to stand up defiantly only to have her knees buckle beneath her. Certainly not in front of this woman. "What else can I tell you?" Katara asked after a long, uncomfortable moment.

Azula was pacing in front her, hands clasped behind her back, deftly avoiding the few furnishings in the small cabin. "Nothing, at the moment. If you truly are pregnant with my brother's child, then you actually might be useful." She darted her head closer, holding Katara's gaze with her own. "You're certain?"

"I already told Kya, there's been no one else. Ever."

"Good." Azula's lips curled in a mocking smile; Katara suppressed a shiver at the sight. "The survivors tell me my dear brother and uncle took some men ashore in yet another futile attempt to find the Avatar. I'm certain they know they no longer have a ship to come back to, and knowing Iroh, he'll have convinced Zuzu not to turn himself in."

_Zuzu?_ Katara wondered at the obvious childhood nickname even as she noted the contempt with which Azula used it, but the princess was still speaking. She'd gone back to pacing, her hands clenched into fists. "However, my dear brother has a rather overblown sense of _honor_," she sneered, making the word an insult. "Once he knows you're carrying his child, he'll feel it's his duty to rescue you from my fiendish clutches." She smiled again, a cold, calculated smile that never reached her eyes. "And then I'll have him right where I want him," she breathed, a curl of smoke rising from each of her fisted hands.

For a moment Katara found herself sympathizing with Zuko; having grown up with Fire Lord Ozai as a father and this monster for a sister, no wonder he'd turned out to be such a bastard. It didn't excuse what he'd done, of course, but it did give her a bit of an inkling into his mental state at the time of the assault.

"So for now, you get to live," Azula concluded, heading purposefully toward the door of the room. "Who knows, I might even let you keep the brat, at least until its born. After that, if you make it to the Fire Nation to serve as your village's hostage, it'll be up to my father to decide what happens to you both." She looked over her shoulders and wiggled her fingers in a parody of a friendly wave. "Bye!"

The door slammed shut behind her, and this time Katara heard a key turn in the lock. She slumped down against the wall, her body starting to shake in reaction. "That woman is a psycho," she muttered to herself. "Talk about going from the frying pan into the fire…"

Lord Iroh had told her that Zuko would be put to death for his failure. Well, he'd strongly implied it, at least. She should be happy to see he'd been telling the truth, shouldn't she? She should be even happier if Azula managed to kill him. Or herself, even, although the thought gave her a sick feeling in the pit of her stomach. She wanted to blame her body's reaction to the new life growing inside her, but couldn't.

No, the truth was she wasn't a cold blooded murderer the way the Fire Nation princess seemed to be. Even though part of Katara demanded vengeance for the despicable way she'd been treated at Zuko's hands, for forcing himself onto her and planting his seed within her womb, the rest of her accepted it as part of war. There were plenty of mixed blood children living in the South Pole villages; if she ever made her way back there, her baby would be accepted as well.

"_Zuko deserves whatever punishment his father decides to give him."_ She remembered her words as clearly as if she'd just spoken them. Just as she remembered Iroh's response: _"Even death?"_

He had asked the question, then left her to ponder the answer. At the time, it had been a resounding "yes"; but now she wasn't sure. She tried to picture him staked out on the ice, her hand holding the ancient stone knife that was usually kept hidden away until justice needed to be served, the blade rising and then quickly falling…

No. Katara couldn't finish the act even in her mind. She knew herself incapable of taking a life, at least not in cold blood. To save herself or someone else from being killed, perhaps, but otherwise? No. Sokka was a different story, he was a warrior, but her brother was far away; she had to put him out of her mind, at least until she extricated herself from her current situation.

Bad enough being a hostage; even worse being bait, knowing that Azula was more than capable of killing even if Katara was not.

She shuddered, this time not bothering to suppress the motion. Azula was willing to kill even her own people, and for what? To carry out her father's orders? Surely the Fire Lord didn't actually call for such wanton destruction of lives and Fire Nation property just because his son didn't manage to capture the Avatar. Or did he?

"If he did then he's crazier than his daughter," Katara said aloud, shifting her position on the narrow bunk, resting her head against the pillow and closing her eyes. Right now she hated the entire Fire Nation, but her personal hatred toward Zuko had softened somewhat. After all, he could have gone back and destroyed her village when he found out she was a Water Bender, that she'd led him astray in his search for the Avatar, but he hadn't, and in light of today's revelations she was willing to allow that to count for something.

"Great, glad you've got all that settled in your mind," she grumbled. "Not that it's much use while you're still a prisoner."

And bait; she mustn't forget that part, especially as it was apparently all that was keeping her alive at the moment.

She pondered the fact that Azula hadn't asked if she was a Water Bender or not, and the additional fact that Kya was willing to keep it a secret. How _had_ she known? Katara wouldn't have realized the other girl was a Bender if she hadn't had that water glove thing on her hand. Apparently it was used for healing, and she knew that under any other circumstances she wouldn't stop pestering the other Bender until she taught Katara how to do it as well.

For now, however, her Water Bending was still a secret. Who knew how Azula would react if she found out? Katara shuddered. Better hope she never does, she counseled herself, and spared a moment to offer up a few prayers to La.


	8. On the Verge

**The Earth Kingdom**

Zuko spared a moment to offer up a prayer to Agni as he and his uncle continued on their quest to find the Avatar. It was only a matter of time before Azula came after them; his only hope was to have something she wanted more than his own life.

She'd been trying to kill him for years now, although he hadn't wanted to believe it. He'd convinced himself it was ambitious politicians behind the many "accidents" that almost claimed his life once he reached his teens. How could Azula, his baby sister, be the one offering up such treachery?

She'd given herself away shortly before their father declared her his heir and sent Zuko into exile; an assassination attempt had been made on his life, but before he killed the man who attempted to kill him, he identified the one who hired him.

It should have shocked him, to hear his younger sister's name whispered on the dying man's lips, but it hadn't. Somehow, he'd been expecting such a thing, anticipating it for years, in spite of denying it to himself at the same time.

And now she was openly pursuing him, no doubt at their father's instigation.

He doubted his father would have sanctioned her extreme use of force against his ship, but he also doubted that Azula would be punished for her over-zealousness, especially if she brought him home, dead or alive.

He spared a moment to worry about how his men were being treated; had she killed them all or allowed them on board her own war ship? And what about Katara? That brought him up short; things had happened so rapidly he'd almost managed to forget about the Water Tribe hostage.

The Water Bender. If Azula found out, Katara was as good as dead, if she hadn't been killed already. He was surprised at how much the thought of her lying lifeless at the bottom of the ocean, trapped in her locked stateroom, pained him. She'd lied to him, lost him his chance at capturing the Avatar and revealed herself to be at least somewhat versed in Water Bending, but there was something about her defiance, her strength of character, that appealed to him.

He shook his head to clear it of such outrageous thoughts. Dead or alive, Katara was no longer his concern, and he would be better served by remembering that.

As if reading his thoughts, his uncle chose that moment to speak. "We must consider our next actions very carefully, Nephew. We must not be governed by emotion or your sister will have her way without lifting a finger."

"I know, Uncle," Zuko growled, then reigned back in on his frustration and anger, inhaling deeply to calm himself. "I know," he repeated in a calmer voice. "I also know there's no way we can bring the Avatar to my father even if we find him, not without being killed ourselves."

"Agreed," Iroh replied, his voice as tranquil as if they were discussing his beloved teas.

Zuko glanced at him sidelong as they trudged down the farther side of the hill from which they'd watched his ship fall under attack, away from the path that led to the nearest town, heading directly into the forest. "So you agree what we're doing is hopeless." Another nod from Iroh. "Then why did you come with me?"

"Because you are my nephew. Because I am pleased that you understand the meaning of keeping your word, in spite of the odds against us. Because _you_ give me hope," Iroh concluded, startling Zuko with those final words.

They fell silent for the next several miles. When Iroh broke the silence it was to bring up the very topic Zuko had been hoping to avoid. "What do you think your sister will make of your hostage?"

Zuko made himself take a deep breath before speaking. "I don't think anything about it," he replied. "I can't, there's nothing to think. Either she drowned or she survived the shipwreck and was rescued. If she managed that much, and I can't imagine how a Water Bender could let herself drown, then either she was killed right away for being who she is or my sister decided to let her live." He shrugged, feigning indifference. "Either way there's nothing we can do to help her."

Iroh made no response, simply continued walking by Zuko's side.

The silence lasted for the remainder of the day. As night fell, they secured their few belongings and settled down to rest. No fire was lit; the weather was tolerable and there was no point in showing Azula their whereabouts if she'd sent men ashore to search for them.

During the long day they'd paused often to listen for sounds of soldiers, but heard nothing more than the chattering of small animals in the underbrush, the occasional torrent of song from birds, the soughing of the wind and the tramp of their own feet, the sound of their own breathing. If Azula sought them on land she either hadn't found them or was waiting to catch them once they reentered civilization.

Neither prospect was appealing, and Zuko broached the topic as they settled down to eat as the last of the daylight fled. He warmed his rice bowl with his hands but put it back down as he voiced his worries.

Iroh raised an arm; it was little more than a shadow in the darkness, but Zuko saw it moving in a dismissive wave. "What will be will be, Nephew. Now is no the time for fretting over that which we cannot control. We will avoid the nearer towns and stay well away from the coast. It is all we can do until we reach Ba Sing Se."

Zuko looked over at his uncle. "Do you really think he got in?"

"If anyone could gain entrance, it would certainly be a young man with a flying bison," Iroh responded dryly. "As for the type of welcome he would enjoy…" He shrugged.

"Better than the one we'll get," Zuko muttered. "Especially if anyone sees through our disguises." He plucked at his clothing distastefully. Everything about it, from the dull, earth-tone colors to the coarseness of the fabric, annoyed him, but he had to admit it was a good thing they'd donned such disguises before going ashore. "It'll be a race, trying to get there before Azula hatches whatever scheme she has in mind for attacking." The encrypted messages had been vague, more rumor than fact, but it was exactly the sort of thing she'd try to do.

"We shall see what we shall see," Iroh replied gravely.

There wasn't much to say to that. Zuko remembered the food cooling in his bowl and picked it back up, stuffing his mouth full and not stopping until the bowl was empty. "We should get a good night's sleep if we're going to head out again before dawn," he announced, wrapping himself in his cloak and settling down on the least uncomfortable patch of ground he could find. "I'll take second watch."

He couldn't see his uncle smile in the darkness as he acknowledged Zuko's order. This was his first true test of leadership, his first true test of himself whether he knew it or not, and he was off to a very satisfactory start.

Also satisfactory was his nephew's discomfort over Katara's fate. It was painfully obvious that the boy felt something akin to guilt about the girl, and not just because he'd lost his temper and took it out on her in so despicable a manner. It was the first time Iroh could recall Zuko showing any consideration for someone not born of the Fire Nation, a healthy start toward realizing that other people were human beings as well, that they hadn't been put on this world simply to bow to the whims of the Fire Nation.

Un-drilling that lesson, one that had been drilled into Zuko since birth by his father and royal tutors, was going to be one of the most difficult tasks Iroh had ever set himself; ultimately, he thought as he gazed into the darkness, it might also prove to be the most satisfying.

**oOo**

"Rise and shine, sleepy head!"

Aang groaned and rolled onto his back, pulling the blankets over his head as he did so. "C'mon, Katara," he mumbled. "Just a few more minutes!"

"Nope, try again," the voice said, and he sat up abruptly as he realized it wasn't a voice he recognized.

At least, not right away. As Aang stared in confusion at the young girl who'd awoken him, the events of the previous day washed over him. "Toph," he said.

"Toph," she agreed, leaning down to yank the blankets from him. "Right now Toph is hungry. Time to start earning your keep."

Aang yelped and grabbed for the covers, then sheepishly remembered that Toph couldn't see him in his semi-unclothed state. Nevertheless he grabbed for his clothing, noticing that it was as spotless as if he'd had an army of servants to clean his garments, right down to his shoes. "Wow, everything's clean!" he exclaimed as he struggled into his pants.

Toph rolled her eyes and made an exasperated grunt. "Yeah, they're clean. Mi-Mi won't stand for any dirt in her house or on her guests, even Earth Benders." That seemed to be a sore spot with Toph, who appeared as spotless as Aang's clothes.

Mi-Mi. He remembered now. The older lady with the heaps of tidy gray hair stacked in a series of buns on her head, plump and motherly. Toph had some kind of family connection to the older woman, a tangle of kinship that neither had bothered to explain, but that entailed Toph being able to stay here free of charge and Mi-Mi not telling her family where she was.

She'd insisted that both Toph and their new guest bathe as soon as they set foot inside her house, didn't ask any questions about where Aang had come from or who he was, fed them after the blessedly long soak in the communal tub, and bundled them both off to bed even though it was barely dark outside.

It was barely light now, and Aang felt as if he could have slept the day through, but Toph was right. She'd rescued him, and the least he could do was help out until he figured out what he was going to do next.

"Mi-Mi doesn't do breakfast or lunch, just dinner," Toph announced once Aang had pulled his tunic over his head and gotten everything fastened and tucked into place. "She also doesn't clean our rooms, but we're expected to keep them as spotless as the rest of this place." She scowled. "A clean freak in an Earth Bending household, how weird is that?" Without waiting for an answer she grabbed for Aang's hand and dragged him out of the room.

Aang managed a more than passable breakfast, and they scarfed it down in silence, tacitly agreeing to save the important stuff for afterwards.

"The first thing we gotta do," Toph announced as they leaned back in their chairs and licked the last of the crumbs from their fingers, "is get you a disguise."

"What? No!" Aang protested. "I'm not some kind of criminal or spy."

"Well, technically you're an escaped prisoner, which makes you a criminal by default," Toph pointed out, reasonably enough. "We both are, if anyone figures out I'm the one who got you out of jail. The only reason there aren't guards knocking on every door in the lower and upper city is because Long Feng wants to keep things quiet. If he raises a general hue and cry, the Earth King might find out and that would be really, really bad as far as Long Feng is concerned."

"How do you know so much about it?" Aang asked, genuinely curious.

Toph shrugged. "You hear things, especially when you're blind. People act like you've lost all your senses instead of just one." Her smile turned wicked. "Especially if you act that way. Plus Mi-Mi has a lot of contacts in both parts of the city. She's the one who's the spy," she added.

Aang gaped at her. "A spy?!? For who?"

"For people who know the Earth King is being duped," Toph replied. "Welcome to the resistance, Avatar."

The resistance. He'd always assumed any such organization would be fighting against the Fire Nation, and when he mentioned that very assumption, Toph simply shrugged again.

"Sometimes you have to fight your own kind first," she said, then stood up and smacked her hands together. "Ready to start training?"

**oOo**

"Training? You want to train me? Isn't that dangerous?"

Kya nodded. "Of course it is, and of course you can decline. But for your own safety and that of your child, you should consider it."

"What about your own safety? What about your home, the people you're a hostage to?" Katara protested in a half-whisper. Azula was off the ship at the moment, but that didn't mean she didn't have spies listening in on them, no matter what Kya said.

"I've spent the last two years doing everything that evil woman has demanded of me," Kya replied, eyes flashing with anger. "When I saw you something finally snapped. By now my family has already long fled our home. In fact, by now the entire village might have been abandoned. That was the plan, when I left. To leave no one behind for the Fire Nation to threaten once sufficient time had passed and I had shown myself to be…broken."

She raised a hand as Katara rushed to protest. "That was also part of the plan." She raised her head proudly. "I was supposed to escape, to flee, after enough time passed, even if I heard nothing from my family or village in the meantime."

"And have you?" Katara asked.

Kya shook her head. "Not a word. I was forbidden to even try to communicate with them after I received proof that they had, indeed, been spared upon my surrender to the Fire Nation. I've been planning to flee Azula the first chance I get, but now you're here and I finally understand why the gods placed me in this position." She smiled. "To teach you. Yes, it's dangerous, for both of us. But La will guide us, and discretion will be our watchword."

Katara nodded. She was in awe of the other girl's determination, inspired by it. If Azula found out, well, she'd counted herself dead so many times during the past several months that once more couldn't hurt. "Show me," she asked, then assumed the stance Kya demonstrated for her.

Her lifelong dream of formal training had finally become reality, and she was determined to make the most of it, come what may.

* * *

_A/N: Wow, I can't believe I've let almost two months go by since I last updated. Apologies to my loyal readers, and I vow to try and keep the time between updates much shorter. Enjoy!_


	9. Mosaic

**Mosaic: A picture or decorative design made by setting small colored pieces, as of stone or tile, into a surface. (2) The process or art of making such pictures or designs. (3) Something that resembles a mosaic: _a mosaic of testimony from various witnesses._**

* * *

**One Month Later**

"Where are they?!?? Where have my idiot brother and the Avatar vanished to??? And why CAN'T I invade Ba Sing Se???"

The questions were punctuated by the pounding of fists on metal table, causing the papers to vibrate wildly, almost rising into flight by the force of Princess Azula's anger, whispering back into place as she turned to glare at the group of men standing a respectful—and cautious—distance from her in the ship's small conference room.

The questions were, of course rhetorical; none of Princess Azula's ostensible "advisors" would dare to even try to answer one of them, even the last one. The one they could answer, should they be so inclined.

She couldn't invade Ba Sing Se because her father forbade it. Even though it was the most likely location of both her brother and the Avatar (to answer her first questions, which of course she knew even while venting her rage), even though it was a challenge his daughter _knew_ she could meet and overcome, he forbade her, and that was the end of it.

Azula wasn't used to being thwarted, especially by her own father. But the Fire Lord was adamant on this subject; no matter how many messenger hawks went winging back and forth between the Fire Nation palace and her ship, still anchored off the Earth Kingdom's western shore, the answer was always the same: Be patient, wait for reinforcements before making any further moves, and stay away from The Impenetrable City.

The sound of a door opening caught her attention; she turned away from the metal table and its annoying contents, a smile of sorts blossoming on her sour features as she beheld the new arrival. "About time!" she exclaimed, then turned to look at her advisors with annoyance. "What are you still doing here?"

As one they turned and shuffled out of the door, murmuring hurried greetings to the newcomer, who stood stoically to one side and merely inclined her head to each man before he left the room. Then she closed the door behind her and draped herself across the nearest chair, regarding Azula intently. "I assume there's a reason you dragged me out into the middle of nowhere?"

"Of course there is, Mai. I have a job for you, one that's right up your alley," Azula replied, speaking as calmly as if she hadn't just had a major temper tantrum over her father's latest denial of her request to invade. "Daddy seems to have some qualms over my plans for Ba Sing Se, and you're just the one to help me out."

"Ty Lee's on her way as well, she missed the courier ship and is catching up on the next one," Mai replied, idly fingering the blade of a long, sharp dagger that had appeared in her hands. She wore all black, her hair was pulled back in a severe knot at the back of her neck, and her face and voice were expressionless. "I'll fill her in when she gets here. So what's the job?"

"Three parts," Azula replied, taking the seat opposite her childhood friend-turned-assassin. "Get into Ba Sing Se, which is a challenge all its own, then find the Avatar and my brother and uncle. Kill the Avatar, then make sure Zuko gets this." She pulled a small scroll case from her belt and handed it Mai. "If that doesn't bring him running back to me, nothing will."

Mai took the proffered scroll case and tucked it into her sleeve without examining it further. "And if Zuko doesn't come running back to you?"

Azula leaned forward in her chair, golden eyes luminous in the subdued lighting of the cabin. "Then kill him. Kill them all."

**oOo**

Ty Lee frowned as she scanned the ocean anxiously. A frown was usually a foreign expression on her open, friendly features, but she'd already messed up by missing the courier carrying Mai to meet with Azula, and Azula wasn't very patient under the best of circumstances. "Any chance this bucket can go any faster?" she asked without turning around.

There was a sailor behind her, of course; there was always a sailor behind her, hovering just out of sight, watching her every move. She was used to it; men always flocked to her, drawn by her beauty and outward charm, her friendliness and, of course, her killer bod.

"I'll speak to the captain," a voice said from behind her, speaking eagerly. She smiled to herself, still without turning around, listening as rapid footsteps sounded behind her, heading in the direction of the steering cabin. It wouldn't be long before another sailor would find an excuse to linger in her vicinity; at least they seemed to be willing to take turns stalking her.

They knew better than to approach her directly, either alone or in groups; her ability to immobilize a foe or even multiple foes had been impressed upon them when she first arrived. A sailor had boldly walked up to her after she ventured out of her cabin for the first time, smiling, obviously impressed with his own looks, which, Ty Lee was happy to admit, were well above average. He was muscular, handsome, in a common, wind-blown sort of way, and had way, way too high an opinion of himself.

Five seconds after he placed a hand on her arm he was lying on the deck of the courier vessel, making strangling sounds deep within his throat, a series of "uhn-uhn-uhn" noises that made Ty Lee's smile widen. She looked at his mates, who had gathered around to see what happened to their friend. "Don't ever touch me," she told them, the smile never wavering, as if playfully admonishing a group of school children who were clamoring for chocolates. "Your friend will be fine, but he made a mistake. He touched me."

"Yeah, and what if more than one of us tries to 'touch' you?" one of the other sailors sneered. He wasn't nearly so handsome as the first, and showed several missing teeth in his bearded face.

Ty Lee had frowned then, a pretty thing that took nothing away from her beauty. "Then I'd have to teach more than one of you a lesson," she'd replied, the frown replaced by a radiant smile.

Three other men lay writhing on the deck seconds later, and no one came within arm's reach of her after that.

Not that she'd ever been in serious trouble, even if she hadn't been able to defend herself; the captain had come on deck after that, scattering his men with curses and kicks, including some directed at the idiots lying at Ty Lee's feet like so many unlovely roses. "She's on a personal mission for the Princess Azula," he shouted, red-faced, at the entire crew. "No one touches her or you'll answer to her royal highness personally!"

Even that threat couldn't dissuade her admirers from trying to get to know her better. And even though Ty Lee knew all they really wanted was to get her into bed, she didn't mind. It was a burden every beautiful woman had to bear, and she was touched by their peculiar brand of devotion. She didn't have the heart to tell the youngest one, Kino, that no, she wasn't a "unique blossom in a bouquet of lesser flowers", although she certainly appreciated the sentiment; six identical siblings had long since quashed any sense of "uniqueness" she held, at least regarding her looks.

Ah, but in every other way, yes, she was unique.

She was not, however, omniscient, and could not foresee how her rendezvous with Azula and Mai was about to be interrupted by an overly determined Water Tribe chieftain on a quest to regain his kidnapped sister.

**oOo**

Katara looked up as Kya slipped into her cabin. The queasiness of her first month of pregnancy had subsided somewhat, but it was still disconcerting to be on the ocean and still uneasy in her stomach. Azula allowed her up on deck but not on shore, even under guard, too experienced at keeping captives, she supposed bitterly, to allow them any smallest possibility of escape.

The only time she ever found herself unsupervised was in her own cabin and when Kya was with her, and then only because Kya was considered thoroughly squelched under Azula's thumb. Their desire for companionship could be and was seen as merely a sign of kinship between the two Water Tribe women; if Azula even suspected something more was going on, no doubt she'd already have put a stop to it in the most permanent way possible.

"What's up?" she asked, sitting up alertly and laying down the scroll she'd been studying as Kya closed the door behind her. The scroll was merely a way to pass the time; she daren't write down anything Kya was teaching her. She hadn't been expecting to see the other woman today since Azula had shown herself to be in one of her more unreasonable and demanding moods.

"The situation has changed," Kya said tightly, moving across the room to join Katara on the edge of her bed. "We have to leave. Tonight."

"What's happened?" Katara demanded, feeling alarm and a thrill of excitement vie for dominance at Kya's words. "Has she figured out my secret? Are you in danger?"

Kya shook her head, running distracted fingers through her hair and dislodging two of her carefully placed combs in the process. She fumbled for them, quickly readjusting her hair back to its usual glossy perfection as she stared at Katara, barely-restrained panic in her eyes. "It's Mai, she's here, which means Ty Lee can't be far behind."

"Who are Mai and Ty Lee?" Katara asked, bewildered by Kya's panic.

"Azula's personal assassins," Kya replied. "I don't know who the target is, but I can guess."

"Aang!" Katara breathed, suddenly acquiring her friend's sense of panic. "They must have found him!"

It was Kya's turn to be bewildered. "Aang?" she repeated. "Who's that?" Before Katara could answer, she added: "No, it's got to be Prince Zuko and Lord Iroh she's decided to go after. They were headed for Ba Sing Se, weren't they? If they've been located then it means she's found a way into the Impenetrable City, and if they're there, then so is…" Her voice trailed off as comprehension dawned. "Aang is the Avatar, isn't he."

Katara nodded. She'd withheld his name from everyone since slipping up with Iroh back in the first days of her captivity, reasoning that the less anyone knew about the Air Bender, the better, and now she'd done it again. At least this time it was with someone she considered a friend.

"I'm still not sure why we have to escape now, tonight," Katara said with a frown. "What danger are we in?"

"With her two lackeys around to take care of things she's been forbidden to do herself, Azula's attention will no doubt return to us. She's left you alive because she doesn't see you as a threat; hostages are regularly taken and sent to the Fire Nation, you know that."

"Right, and she's kept me here instead of sending me back to her father because she wants to use the fact that I'm pregnant against Zuko somehow," Katara agreed.

"Now that she's sending Mai and Ty Lee against Zuko, she won't need you anymore," Kya said. "She might decide you're more trouble than you're worth. And if you vanish, she'll know exactly who helped you, so I have to go with you."

Put that way, it made sense. "I'm all for escaping," Katara said. "Doing it before I'm too big and useless to be of any help makes sense." She leaned forward and took Kya's hands in hers. "So what's the plan?"

**Ba Sing Se**

"That's it! You've got it!"

Aang grinned at Toph's words of encouragement. Usually she was a lot less, um, _sympathetic_ instructor, but he'd managed a breakthrough today and she'd rewarded him with praise, probably more out of surprise than anything else.

That thought was proven out by her next words: "OK, Twinkle Toes, so you got that one down. Time for the next lesson."

Twinkle Toes. He winced at the nickname, but at least it was better than "Pipsqueak." And Toph seemed congenitally unable to call anyone by their own name; even "Mi-Mi" was a nickname, although the older woman insisted she didn't mind being called by the diminutive. Aang, ever the gentleman, nevertheless called her Lady Mishara once he realized that was her true name and title.

The only person she consistently referred to by name was Long Feng, and that seemed to be because she could conceive of no nickname vile enough for someone she considered the lowest form of scum, a traitor to his own people. She had plenty of nicknames for the Fire Lord, none of which Aang would ever care to repeat, but Long Feng seemed to be beneath even such epithets in Toph's mind.

Aang, at her insistence, was growing out his hair and wearing clothing and a headwrap that covered his tattoos. Since he'd made his way to the city without bothering to wear a disguise, no one would expect him to adopt one now, was her reasoning. And since he was stuck there until Toph was ready to finish his training, he decided it would be easier to give in on this one thing, although the short, brown stubbles felt strange every time he rubbed a hand across his head. "Appa won't be able to recognize me," he mumbled as he climbed to his feet and readied himself for whatever Toph was planning to throw at him this time.

"Don't worry, we'll find your buffalo," a voice came from behind him. "My friends are still working on it."

"Thanks, Jet, but if Appa doesn't want to be found, he won't be," Aang replied without turning around, keeping his eyes firmly fixed to Toph's motionless form on the opposite end of the training courtyard. She would just love it if he allowed his attention to be distracted even for a second, and her ability to tell where and who people were by their heartbeats was another trick of hers he vowed to learn at the earliest possible opportunity.

Jet was somewhat of a mystery to Aang, even after a month spent off and on in his company. Quiet, brooding, and decidedly uncomfortable in the city that had become his home a year ago, he spent a great deal of time with his two younger companions, whom Aang had not yet met. The three of them apparently used to be some sort of guerilla fighters in a larger troop in the Earth Kingdom forests, ambushing and killing as many Fire Nation soldiers as they could, but something had happened, something terrible that Jet and his two friends refused to talk about even to Toph.

Nevertheless he was sympathetic to Aang's plight, and as determined to roust Long Feng from power as Toph and Lady Mishara were.

"We did find this, however," Jet was saying while Aang focused on Toph, who had moved into an Earth Bending stance he didn't recognize. When a long wooden object was thrust in front of his face, however, all thoughts of Toph and Bending practice disappeared from his mind.

"You found it! How?" Aang grasped the staff of his glider, running his fingers lovingly over the smooth wood. He snapped it open and took off at a run, about to take to the air in his joy when a wall of earth rose in front of him, stopping him in his tracks. He backpedalled rapidly, but not quickly enough; the wall of earth towered above him like a wave and crashed down over him.

**oOo**

"I'm beginning to think we're on a fool's errand."

"You must have more patience, Nephew," Iroh counseled, sipping placidly at his ginger-lemon tea. "Drink your tea."

Zuko scowled but plopped down on the seat next to his uncle and obediently raised a cup to his lips. After the one sip, however, he put the cup back down and shoved it away from him. "No one's seen a sign of the Avatar since he escaped from the palace. I think he's fled the city."

"And I told you, I don't believe that's true."

Iroh looked over at his nephew with a critical eye. In order to further hide themselves from any Fire Nation spies or soldiers Azula might have sent after them, they'd both forsaken their formal queues, cutting their hair shorter in the style of Earth Kingdom commoners. There wasn't much to be done about Zuko's distinctive scar, but at least from a distance their hair styles no longer screamed "Fire Nation Noblemen In Disguise!"

To maintain their disguises, as well as to earn enough money to keep them from having to resort to petty thievery, they'd taken jobs in a small tea house in the upper city. The jobs included lodging, a shared room that Zuko had accepted uncomplainingly. Now, a month later, Iroh had become the manager and Zuko his surly but surprisingly efficient assistant.

They were currently entrusted with the running of the entire establishment as the owner and his family had gone away to Lake Laogai for the summer. It was the usual mid-afternoon lull, and he and Zuko were taking a leisurely break before the late afternoon rush began.

"If the Avatar has any brains at all he has done as we have and taken on a disguise," Iroh said with an air of someone repeating something he'd already said many times before. Which he had.

Zuko didn't want to hear it any more this time than he had the first hundred times, his sour expression told Iroh as much even though his nephew refrained from saying as much. Instead, he said: "I'm going out tonight to see what I can find out."

This time it was Iroh who refrained from saying: "Of course you are." His nephew went out every night, scouring the city for signs of a young man with arrow tattoos on his head and arms, even though the last anyone had seen of such a young man had been when he entered the palace six weeks earlier…and never emerged, at least not officially. Unofficially the rumor was that he'd been imprisoned and freed without ever seeing the Earth King.

There wasn't even a hint of a whisper of a rumor as to who, exactly, had freed him, nor had anyone seen him within the city walls during that time. Still, Iroh was convinced that was exactly where the Avatar still resided, and as soon as he could establish certain contacts he would confirm that belief. It had taken time for he and Zuko to establish themselves in their cover identities, but soon, very soon, it would be safe enough for him to reach out to a covert group that Zuko had no idea even existed. Soon enough, he would be back in touch with members of the Order of the White Lotus.

He watched as Zuko downed the remainder of his tea and stalked back into the kitchen to begin the evening prep work. Iroh had work of his own; he hopped down from his chair and headed for the stairs leading to their second floor lodgings. Once in their small but comfortable room he rummaged under the bed and pulled out the Pai Sho board he'd acquired the previous day. Humming happily to himself he brought it downstairs and set it up on a table near the front window. Pai Sho brought in customers, so he'd told the owner when he asked permission to set it up before the man took his family away for the summer.

And Pai Sho was the means to identifying members of the Order and letting them know that one of their brothers was in town and desired to meet with them.

* * *

_A/N: So I didn't have enough going on in this story, had to bring in the rest of the cast and crew (or at least a substantial part of them) and throw them in the mix. Tell me what you think while I feverishly work on the next chapter!_


	10. Irons in the Fire

**One Week Later**

The dinner rush was over. Finally. Zuko blew a silent sigh of relief as he wiped down the counter and headed over to lock up. His uncle was frowning absently over the Pai Sho board he'd set up at the table near the window; at some point someone had come in and apparently started a game while they were too busy to notice, leaving the tiles in place.

When he reached to clear the tiles away, however, his uncle stopped him. "Perhaps he will return tomorrow to finish the game," he said. Zuko shrugged and finished up the rest of the evening's work, impatient to return to his nightly prowling of the streets in search of the Avatar.

As he made his way back to the kitchen with the final tray of empty tea cups and saucers, something caught Zuko's eye. It looked like a scroll case, the small kind meant for a personal message, lodged just under the legs of the table opposite the one holding the Pai Sho board. "Uncle, someone's dropped something," he said in irritation. "A scroll case. You'd better put it behind the counter, I'm sure the owner will turn up in the morning, beating on the door and demanding its return."

Iroh scooped up the small wooden case, turning it around to see if anything were inscribed on the lid. He froze as he recognized the sigil imprinted in the metal band. "Zuko," he said, his voice tight.

His nephew, half-way back to the kitchen, stopped and turned at the sound of the tension in his uncle's voice. He placed the heavily-laden tray on the edge of the counter and hurried to Iroh's side. "What is it?"

Wordlessly Iroh showed him the sigil. With a hiss of indrawn breath, Zuko reared back as if his uncle had thrust a snake into his face. "Azula," he whispered, voice hoarse with sudden dread. She'd found them.

With steady hands Iroh unscrewed the top of the scroll case and popped the message into his hand. It was tied with a delicate red ribbon, which he slipped off without undoing and allowed to drop to the floor, along with the case itself. He unrolled the note and read it over rapidly, then a second time more slowly, a frown creasing his forehead and drawing his lips downward in an uncharacteristic expression of distress.

"What does it say?" Zuko demanded. And why had his sister bothered with a surreptitious note in the first place? Why not simply have them assassinated while they slept, if she could sneak someone into Ba Sing Se so easily?

"It says she's captured Katara and wants you to give yourself up to save her," Iroh said slowly.

Zuko laughed disbelievingly. "Give myself up for a hostage who was bound for my father's court anyway? Why in the name of the Elements would she expect me to be willing to do that?"

Iroh hesitated before responding, but the claim had to be made aloud. "Because she says Katara carries your child."

Zuko felt as if he'd been gut-punched, as if the world had suddenly tilted beneath his feet. "She's lying," he stammered, feeling his cheeks flush and then cool so suddenly he felt faint. "It was only once…"

"And once is all it takes," Iroh replied, eyes and voice sympathetic but unyielding.

"She's lying," Zuko repeated, his voice rising with a panic he'd never felt before. She had to be lying, it had to be a trick of some kind…

"She has no reason to lie," Iroh said with a shake of his head. "Not about such a thing."

"She does," Zuko insisted, desperation tingeing his every word, shining panic-stricken in his eyes. "She knows it's the only thing that would bring me back willingly…"

"She could simply have threatened to execute more of our men," Iroh pointed out, his voice still gentle but even more implacable. "There are many ways your sister could have chosen to bend us to her will once she located us." He shook his head. "This has the ring of truth to it. The only question is, what shall we do about it?"

He said "we" to remind Zuko that he was not alone in this, that he had someone upon whom he could depend, no matter what decision he came to.

Abruptly, Zuko snatched the message out of his uncle's hand, burning with a need to read it himself, to confirm the truth of the message with his own eyes.

"_Dearest brother_," he read. "_I hope this message finds you and our loving uncle well. It might interest you to know that I have your Water Tribe hostage on my ship, and that according to your men the child she carries was fathered by you. If you want to save the baby I suggest you find your way to me by the most expedient method possible. The agent who delivered this message to you is _dying_ to see you again, to reunite you and our uncle with me. If you come quickly and without giving my agent any trouble, I'll consider freeing the peasant and allowing her to raise your bastard without the benefit of our father's loving influence._"

The threat was crystal clear: surrender and your child will be free of the royal family's poisonous presence in its life. And if he didn't…

Zuko's eyes closed briefly, then snapped open. If he didn't, Azula would either kill Katara and her baby, or she would allow them to live and bring them back to the royal court, telling their own father of the baby's lineage, at which point Ozai would either finish them off himself or allow the baby to be born and raised, probably without allowing Katara any contact afterwards. Probably having her put to death. And all because he couldn't control his rage or carnal urges when he'd confronted her after losing the Avatar…

With a low growl he crumbled the note, crushing it in his fist, allowing his rage to build, freeing his inner fire just enough to burn the missive to ashes, which he then dropped to the floor.

"We have to get Katara away from her," was all he said, all thoughts of searching for clues to the Avatar erased from his mind by a more immediate need. "We need a plan, Uncle. We're not just surrendering ourselves to this agent, whoever it might be, not without a plan."

Irod nodded solemnly. "Agreed."

**oOo**

Mai watched from her hiding place across the street as the lights were extinguished in the tea room. She continued watching as a light came on upstairs. The shade was drawn, and for an instant she saw Iroh's figure outlined in the shimmering lamplight. Then all was dark again.

She waited patiently for an hour, watching for any sign of Zuko slipping out as he usually did. This time, however, he remained inside, and she allowed a slight, satisfied smile to touch her lips for the briefest of moments. They'd found her message. Good.

She'd taken her time after ascertaining Zuko and Iroh's presence in the city. It hadn't been that difficult; she'd had a hunch that tea would be involved, knowing the Dragon of the West's excessive interest in that particular beverage. Her hunch had led her here, and now that she'd delivered Azula's message she could concentrate on the second part of her mission. Locating the Avatar. She would return in a day or two to see if Zuko was willing to be reasonable or if she would be forced to take him out, as she'd always suspected she would have to do one day, and not just because he dumped her.

She slipped out of the shallow doorway in which she'd spent the past few hours, headed for the rooms she'd taken for the duration of the job. The only glitch was Ty Lee's absence. The courier boat had never arrived, messenger hawks had been dispatched without result, and she and Azula assumed some accident had befallen the ship. It happened sometimes. If Azula felt any regret at her erstwhile friend's apparent death, she didn't show it.

Mai didn't show it, either, but she felt it. Ty Lee and Azula had been her closest friends since childhood, and the loss of the most cheerful member of the group had hurt. It still did, a week later, but she continued to present a stoic front to the world, just as she always had. When the mission was completed, she would take the time to mourn, but not before then.

Right now she had a traitorous ex-boyfriend to deal with.

**oOo**

From a few doors down, unaware of the second watcher, Aang studied the front of the darkened tea room with interest. "You're sure they're Fire Nation?"

Jet nodded. It was a risk, taking the Avatar out into public even late at night, but his hair was long enough and the headband he wore thick enough to cover his signature arrow tattoo. He also wore a pair of dark green fingerless mitts similar to those Toph favored, and a long-sleeved shirt and trousers in muted shades of brown completed the disguise. "I saw the older man, the one the younger calls 'Uncle' warm a cup of tea with his hands." His own hands clenched in fists, but he forced his fingers to uncurl. He'd learned long ago to temper his hatred of anyone from the Fire Nation, lest it lead to rash actions such as the ones that had brought about the deaths of his friends and comrades in the forest.

"What are they doing here?" Aang wondered.

"The younger one, Zyo, is looking for you," Jet replied bluntly. "He goes out every night after dark, and I've heard him asking around about the Avatar, if anyone's seen him since he was brought to the palace by the Dai Li."

"What do they look like?" Aang asked, his heart quickening in his chest. Fire Nation spies searching for him here, in Ba Sing Se; it was the worst news he could have received.

Jet described them, but although Aang found the scar around the younger man's eye interesting, he had no idea who they were. It was enough that they were Fire Nation, that the older man was a Fire Bender, and that they not only knew he'd escaped from imprisonment in the palace dungeons, but also that he remained in the city. Or at least suspected as much.

He sighed. "We have to do something about them," was his reluctant decision. "Convince them I've left the city, do something to make them leave…"

"We need to kill them," Jet said flatly. "Tonight."

Aang started to protest, but Jet turned on him fiercely. "Sometimes lives have to be taken to spare others," he snarled. "If you don't have the stomach for it, fine; Toph and I will take care of them for you." He stalked away without another word, no doubt heading back to Lady Mishara's compound to retrieve Toph.

Aang watched him go, indecision writ large on his features, but didn't follow. Instead he returned his gaze to the second floor window. There was a slight glimmer of light from behind the drawn shades. Jet said the younger man, Zyo, usually went out after dark, but the older man remained behind. Perhaps he would be willing to listen to reason.

Resolve hardening in his heart, Aang pulled the hood of his cloak over his head, further shadowing his face, then made his way across the street. If he could prevent bloodshed, he would do what he had to do.

**oOo**

Katara and Kya trudged wearily back to the humble room they shared in the lower city, Katara's steps lagging somewhat behind those of the older woman. They'd made their way to Ba Sing Se and managed to gain entry. Although Kya had urged Katara to flee back to the South Pole, she'd stubbornly clung to the idea that she had to find Aang, had to warn him about Azula's presence at sea and Zuko's possible presence in the city itself.

Once they entered the city, it hadn't taken long for them to hear the latest rumors regarding the Avatar, although it was proving harder to sift the crumbs of truth from those rumors. The only fact that seemed certain was that Aang had entered the Earth King's palace and not been seen since.

They'd taken jobs at a laundry, surreptitiously using their Water Bending skills to ease the burden of the labor-intensive work, but it still wiped them out by the end of the day. However, after three long days they now had enough money to maintain their lodgings, purchase some simple articles of clothing and other necessities, and feed themselves.

They'd used what little money Kya had managed to obtain to get themselves this far. Now, with some semblance of stability in the immediate future, they could concentrate on the task of finding Aang.

As Katara lagged further behind, wearier than she'd ever been in her life, Kya slowed her steps to remain by her friend's side, eyes bright with concern. "Katara, this is too much for you, especially in your condition," she said in a low voice, laying an arm across the other woman's shoulder.

Katara smiled at her. "You worry too much," she replied, not shrugging the arm off but placing her own arm around Kya's waist, grateful for the support. "I'll be fine. I just need to get a little sleep and something to eat." She patted her stomach with a rueful smile. "Little Zuko doesn't approve of the plebian life, I guess."

Kya frowned. "I wish you wouldn't say things like that," she scolded in a low voice, casting a wary eye around them. No one was in earshot, thank La, but one day Katara would mention the Fire Prince's name in the wrong place at the wrong time, the consequences of which could be devastating. "You know this is the first place Azula will search for us."

"Yet you came along with me anyway," Katara pointed out. "It's also where Aang is, and I have to warn him. If he's truly a prisoner in the palace, I have to find a way to rescue him." She sounded determined, and straightened herself unconsciously. "You know all that. I can't just leave him for that snake to take captive, or worse."

At some point during her captivity, Azula had become the most hated person on Katara's list, pushing Zukok out of the top spot not only by her excessive use of force against her own people, but by the pure venom of her personality. The woman practically oozed evil, and from what Katara had seen and heard, her grasp on sanity was tenuous at best. Zuko was Fire Nation, a rapist, but if Lord Iroh was to be believed, and somehow she knew that he was, at least he'd shown some kind of remorse for what he'd done to her. She was still a long way from forgiving him, but she found that the new life growing within her womb gave her a new and unexpected perspective on life. "I know, I know, no one here needs to know who the father of my baby is," Katara capitulated. "But I can't ever let myself forget it. What if he turns out to be a Fire Bender?" she added in a half-whisper.

Kya bit her lip; she hadn't considered that aspect of the situation, but it was obvious Katara had.

As the door to their lodgings grew near, she sighed. It had seemed so straightforward on the ship: escape, get Katara as far away from Azula as she could, then decide where to go. Now she wished she'd been more insistent, more persuasive, even as she realized that nothing she'd said would have been enough to change Katara's mind. She was surprisingly stubborn once she'd made a decision.

At least one of the decisions she'd reached had been to love her baby. Kya had worried about that, until Katara showed how much she in turn worried over the life growing inside her. She fretted over every little sign and symptom, certain that her ordeal was going to snatch her only ray of sunshine away from her. Thankfully her worries so far had proven to be for naught, and the danger period of the first three months was drawing to a close.

They reached their lodgings, Katara withdrawing her arm from Kya's waist as the other girl opened the door and stepped into the foyer. The old lady, Kiki, who rented them their room smiled in greeting and returned to her knitting as they closed the door behind them and ascended the worn but scrupulously clean staircase to the second floor, then up the next set of stairs to the attic room they shared. In spite of its location at the top of the small house it was a cozy, welcoming space with two neatly made beds on either side of the single dormered window. As Katara moved unerringly to light the candle, a voice spoke to them from the darkness, startling them both.

"Don't bother."

**Somewhere At Sea**

"Y'know, you're really, really going to be in trouble when Azula finds out you kidnapped me."

Sokka of the Water Tribe scowled at Ty Lee, ignoring the earnestness of her voice and expression. The Fire Nation captive had been nothing but trouble ever since he fished her out of the ocean after destroying the courier vessel on which she'd been traveling. Sweetly cooperative at first, she'd taken no time at all at attempting to suborn his men, using her good looks and apparently natural ability to turn any man's head to try and convince them to let her go.

At least she hadn't gone so far as to try and convince them to mutiny. Not that it would have worked, of course, but he suspected less loyal sailors than his might have succumbed to her almost supernatural charms if she were allowed to continue working them.

He, of course, was immune to those charms, or so he told himself. If he was being completely honest, he would have to admit that her big brown eyes and brilliant smile had captivated him from the first moment he laid eyes on her, dripping wet and clinging to the net with which she'd been retrieved from the ocean.

They'd come upon the courier by chance, and his fleet had made quick work of the smaller vessel, even though it had been more heavily armed than the usual ship of its size. Ty Lee hadn't been the only survivor, although she'd been the only one willing to answer any of Sokka's questions and demands. The other ten sailors remained a sullen, silent group, locked in the holds of each of the seven ships under Sokka's command.

It was their first and so far only contact with a Fire Nation vessel, and to have so resounding a victory under their belts had driven morale up considerably. To have taken an apparently valuable hostage also helped, as did the fact that she was pretty, personable, and almost frighteningly optimistic by nature.

"I want Azula to find out we've kidnapped you," Sokka pointed out in response to her earlier statement. He spoke patiently, having already told her that once she identified herself as a personal friend of the future Fire Lady. "I intend to trade you for my sister."

Ty Lee's lower lip stuck out in an adorable pout, and she flounced over to the bunk on the opposite side of the room from where Sokka was standing. Dropping to the bunk with arms folded across her chest, she shook her head and gazed earnestly up at him. "And I already told _you_," she reminded him, "Azula won't do it. Oh, she'll want me back, but you can't trust her to keep any promises she makes to get me. Even if she lets you take your sister, she'll never let you return to the South Pole with her. She'll have messenger hawks out to the Imperial Fleet so fast your head'll spin, sink you before you get out of Earth Kingdom territory and never feel a single second of regret."

She, however, did sound regretful, and Sokka believe she was sincere in that regret, crazy thought he might be to do so. Ty Lee was pretty and bubbly but she was also dangerous, as his men had discovered during her single attempt at escape. Her knowledge of chakra points was second to none, and the paralyzing effect she had on more than a few of his men during that escape attempt, taken when they were relatively close to shore, was a sobering reminder that not everything about her could be taken at face value.

She did not, however, strike him as a liar. Her apparent guilelessness was as real as her outer beauty. With a sigh, Sokka joined her on the edge of the bunk. She knew better than to attack him, and he knew better than to lay so much as a finger on her. Not that he would, certainly not without her permission; he was no gutless, Fire Nation rapist. But even as troublesome as he found her, at the same time he found himself drawn to her, at times felt almost comfortable in her presence. She in turn allowed the familiarity, turning herself slightly to face him in his new position by her side.

"Look, Ty Lee, I know Azula will stab me in the back as soon as its turned. I already knew that; her reputation is pretty well known. But I have to do what I can to get my sister back."

Ty Lee's eyes shone with sympathy. She laid a hand on his arm, causing Sokka to suck in a startled breath; her touch was feather-light, and she was no Fire Bender, but his arm burned nonetheless. "Sokka, I'm begging you. Just put me off on shore and go back home. Your sister is a Fire Nation hostage now. Besides, Azula doesn't have her, Prince Zuko does, and he and his sister aren't exactly on the best of terms." That was as close as she'd ever come to admitting that Azula and Zuko hated each other, that the royal princess had tried many times to have her brother killed and that she was the main reason for the rift between the Fire Lord and his son.

"Azula's the heir to the throne," Sokka said, his voice quiet but determined. "She can make him give her up. Once I have her on board," he took a deep breath and let it out in a slow exhale. "Once I have her on board, we'll just have to take our chances. There's just the two ships out here right now, the Imperial Fleet is weeks away and the Earth Kingdom rebels won't allow an airship to fly over their coast without retaliation. So we have a chance."

Suddenly, without warning, Ty Lee leaned forward and kissed him, softly, on the lips. She pulled back almost immediately, cheeks flushed red at the audaciousness of her impulsive action. "You're a good man, Sokka," she said softly. "I'm just sorry I can't convince you not to throw your life away on a hopeless cause." Then she turned her gaze out the cabin's small porthole. "You'd better go now," she said without turning around.

Sokka stumbled to his feet in a daze and left the room without another word, silently locking the door behind him.

* * *

_A/N: Whoo-hoo, I'm on fire now! Nice to actually have a direction for the rest of the story besides reuniting Katara and Zuko for their possible happily-ever-after (especially after putting them through their unhappy "once upon a time." :) So whaddaya think?_


	11. Enemies and Allies

"Who are you? What do you want?" Katara demanded, squinting to see whoever it was confronting them in their own lodgings. The voice had been female, young, but more than that she couldn't make out, just as she couldn't make out the girl's features in the moonlight-filtered darkness of the room.

"I've heard you've been asking around about the Avatar. I'm just here to advise you to drop it."

The girl moved out of the corner in which she'd been standing, moving sure-footedly through the darkness to stand near the middle of the room. Her face was still in shadow, her sturdy form backlit by the stars glimmering behind the window at the head of Kya's bed.

"We're not here to do him any harm," Kya rushed to assure the stranger.

Before she could say anything further, the other girl laughed, a humorless bark that ended as quickly as it began. "That's beside the point. It's bad enough there are constant rumors going round the city about him, but when strangers start asking around, Water Tribe strangers who've only been here a few days, well, then the rumors start sounding less like rumors and more like facts. People start wondering if he's still imprisoned in the Earth King's palace after all. Or if he _was_ freed, if he stayed in Ba Sing Se instead of leaving like any sane person would."

Something in the stranger's tone alerted Katara, brought a stirring of hope in her heart. "He's here, isn't he," she said, stepping forward, hands clenched at her sides. "Please, we have to see him." She hesitated, then added: "Tell him it's Katara."

There was a moment of silence before the stranger spoke. "Prove it."

The swelling of hope threatened to overcome Katara at those two words. Not "who's that" or "why should I care", but "Prove it." As surely as if she'd stated that Aang was free and in the city, the stranger had revealed it by those two, simple words.

"Let me show you," Katara offered once the dizziness of her realization passed. She reached once again for the light. This time, the stranger said nothing, merely waited until Katara lit it and turned to face the basin of water that stood on opposite end of the long, narrow dresser.

"Katara," Kya breathed warningly, realizing what her friend and student intended to do.

Katara ignored the warning, raising her hands and taking a basic Water Bending stance. With a deep breath, once in, once out, she reached out and caused the water to rise up from the bowl. She spun it in a circle, once, twice, then allowed it to settle back into the basin.

When she turned to look at the stranger, however, she realized that the girl hadn't seen a thing, that she never saw anything; her eyes were filmed with a white glaze. "You're blind," she breathed disbelievingly.

"Yeah, well, blind doesn't mean stupid," the girl snapped. "I heard the water moving around, and since neither of you were near enough to slosh it, I'm guessing you're a Water Bender."

"And if you know the Avatar, then he can confirm that Katara of the South Polar Water Tribe is a Water Bender." She kept her voice steady, although her hands were shaking in reaction to the risk she'd just taken. After all, there were other ways for her name to be known; what if the stranger were an agent of Azula's come to recapture them? Even in the face of such a possibility, however, she had a feeling, a good feeling, that Aang knew this girl.

There was another long silence while the stranger considered her words. "Meet me tomorrow at the Lu Shi Tea Shop," she said after a moment. "First thing in the morning." Walking to the window, she threw it open and stepped onto the sill. At the sound of protest issuing from Katara's throat, she smiled. "Don't worry about me, Sweetness." Then she sprang out the window and vanished.

Hearts in their throats, both Katara and Kya rushed to the window, not sure what to expect. What they saw surprised them more than if the girl had sprouted wings and flown away.

"She's an Earth Bender?" Kya exclaimed in amazement as they saw the column of rock rapidly returning to the ground from which the stranger had apparently summoned it. She ran off nimbly, disappearing around a corner as the other two gaped after her.

"I don't care if she's a Pai Sho master," Katara said with a grin. She hugged Kya fiercely. "She must know Aang, where he is, and plans to take us to him!"

**oOo**

Iroh and Zuko exchanged startled glances as they heard a light rapping on the door to the room they shared. Putting a finger to his lips, Zuko slid his sword out of its sheath and stepped silently into place behind the door, nodding to indicate that Iroh should open it.

Before doing so, his uncle called out: "Who's there?"

"Please, I just need to talk to you," a muffled voice replied. Young, male, indistinguishable other than that. "I'm sorry about breaking in but it's really important."

Zuko remained behind the door while Iroh stepped to the opposite side and eased open the latch. The door swung slightly inward, but no assassin's blade or poisoned dart flew into the room. Instead, a hand reached out and hesitantly pushed the door the rest of the way open, cautiously followed by the arm it was attached to as the youngster stepped into the room.

He was cloaked and hooded, his features further obscured by the addition of a headscarf beneath the hood covering the greater portion of his face. Only his eyes glittered in the reflected candlelight. He glanced sideways and saw Iroh standing to one side and opened his hands in a gesture of peace. He had a staff slung over one shoulder but no signs of other weapons. "Please, I just want to talk," he said in a low voice that nonetheless betrayed his youth. "Your lives are in danger."

That certainly got their attention. Giving no sign that Zuko was in hiding behind the door, Iroh gazed thoughtfully at the stranger. "Indeed? Why?"

"Because you've been asking about the Avatar," the stranger replied. "He has friends in this city who don't take kindly to Fire Nation spies."

Iroh coughed loudly to cover the noise Zuko made with his involuntary start. The stranger glanced over his shoulder with a frown at the half-open door, then returned his attention to Iroh. "Please believe me, you've been found out and your lives are in danger if you don't leave the city, the sooner the better. Tonight." He backed up a step as if preparing to flee the room.

Zuko chose that moment to step from behind the door, slamming it shut with a loud "bang." The stranger whirled to face him, the staff leaving his back and finding its way to his hands in a blur of motion that impressed Iroh. "We can take care of ourselves," Zuko snarled. "Especially now that we have a hostage to guarantee our safety." He held his sword up menacingly.

Iroh held back a sigh of resignation. Of course his nephew would react this way, but it wasn't going to help their cause any if they threatened someone who was only trying to help them. He voiced that opinion in a mild tone of voice, but Zuko, as expected, ignored him.

"Who are you?" he demanded. "Show your face."

The stranger, still clutching the staff in both hands in the manner of an experienced fighter, took a single step backwards, away from Zuko and slightly away from Iroh as well. "I'm nobody," he insisted. "I overheard someone making a threat and thought I'd do the right thing and warn you is all."

"If you believe we're Fire Nation spies, then why warn us?" Zuko pressed, scowling suspiciously. "Why bother?"

Iroh was interested in the answer to that question as well, and stepped pointedly away from the young man, just out of reach of the tip of the staff should it suddenly be aimed his way.

"Because this war kills enough people," the stranger replied simply.

Iroh sucked in a sudden breath as he realized the identity of their purported "nobody." Zuko, however, remained blissfully ignorant.

Iroh weighed the risks of revealing what he knew. His nephew still wanted the Avatar as his prisoner, true, but with the revelation of Katara's condition and capture by Azula, the game had changed. Zuko wouldn't hesitate to use the Avatar as a bargaining chip; surely his father wanted that threat nullified more than he wanted his own son dead.

Or so Zuko's reasoning would go. Iroh knew better. If Ozai had sanctioned Zuko's death, if he had indeed sent Azula to kill them both rather than take them into custody for their failure to procure the Avatar, then nothing they did, no trade offered, would result in anything but their own deaths and the deaths of everyone else involved. Not that either of them feared death, but it seemed a great waste when there was still so much they could do to mitigate the damage caused by the Fire Nation's misguided policy of world domination.

None of which would be served by the capture or death of the Avatar, either, but if Zuko was to become the man Iroh suspected he could be, he would have to face the choice, sooner or later, of what kind of man he _wanted_ to be.

His desire to reenter his father's good graces was almost palpable at times; at other times, his anger and resentment overwhelmed such yearnings. It was time to force another choice on him.

All this flashed through Ozai's mind in less time than it took for Zuko to make a menacing swipe at the youngster with the tip of his sword. Iroh stepped between them before they could come to blows. "Zuko," he said quietly. "This must end. If we are to save Katara, we will need help." He turned to look at the stranger, who had gasped in surprise at the Water Bender's name. "We will especially require the help of the Avatar. Won't we, Aang?"


	12. Make New Friends

**oOo**

Toph grinned as she made her nimble way back home. If this truly was Aang's friend Katara, then things had just taken a turn for the better, not only for Aang but for their cause as well. Having a Water Bender, even a minor one, was another advantage Long Feng wouldn't be anticipating when they finally made their move.

She scowled when she reached home, however; there was something wrong, too many people up and about inside. No, not quite; one person in particular seemed to be missing.

She stomped inside, closing the door silently behind her before storming into the kitchen, where everyone was clustered. "All right," she demanded. "Where's Aang?"

**oOo**

Zuko's eyes widened in surprise, then narrowed angrily as he realized who he faced. "You," he hissed through clenched teeth. He moved to swing the sword again, but Iroh moved in and deftly disarmed his nephew, sending the sword flying upward where it impaled itself in the wooden beam directly overhead.

At almost the same instant, the Avatar reacted to Zuko's name. "Zuko? _Prince_ Zuko?" he demanded, eyes narrowing into slits matching those of the Fire Nation prince in ferocity. The staff was a whirl of motion, but Iroh had anticipated this and spun on one foot, the other kicking the weapon out of the Avatar's hands and sending it spinning across the floor where it landed under Zuko's bed.

"That will be quite enough posturing," Iroh said, using his most imperious tone.

Still trading glares, Zuko and Aang relaxed their stances the tiniest fraction, although Iroh could tell his nephew was itching to retrieve his sword. After a long moment, Aang finally turned his attention away from Zuko, shifting his eyes just the slightest bit so they met Iroh's. He pulled the hood down from his head and lowered the muffling scarf till it rested on his collarbones instead of obscuring his face. His blue arrow tattoos hardly showed beneath the bristles of dark hair that now covered his head. "Do I have the honor of addressing the Dragon of the West?"

Iroh bowed. "You do indeed, Avatar. As you already know, this is my nephew, Prince Zuko. We have been pursuing you for a long time. It is an honor to finally meet you, as well."

Aang returned the bow, pointedly ignoring the same courtesy toward Zuko. "May I ask why you chose to reveal yourself to me? If you knew it was me, why not complete your mission and try to take me prisoner?"

"I'd like to know the answer to that as well," Zuko added, turning his glare on his uncle. "You know we could use Aang to trade for Katara…"

"Katara? What do you mean?!? What's happened to Katara?" Aang interrupted with an anxious frown. "And why would you want to trade me for her?"

**Somewhere At Sea**

Sokka plopped back onto his bunk with a heavy sigh. He'd been chief of his tribe for what, four years now? Almost five, he realized. An untried boy of sixteen had been thrust into a position of prominence due to an almost ludicrous set of circumstances; father dead plus warriors off fighting the Fire Nation equals not-quite-ready-for-it youth as chief.

Fortunately he'd had plenty of experienced advisors to help him out, in the form of the elders, both men and women, too old to join his father's expedition. None of them, however, had been able to prevent the Fire Nation attack once it inevitably started; not the elders, not the women like his sister who'd been willing to take up arms against their attackers, not Aang, whom he'd urged away against the youngster's will, not the few remaining soldiers of his father's expedition who'd straggled back, a few at a time, over the past four years to report wearily on how poorly they fared against the Fire Nation navy.

Certainly not the chief of the tribe, Sokka himself, he concluded as he crossed his arms behind his head and contemplated the ceiling of his cabin. Technically it wasn't his cabin at all, but his first mate's, who had willingly surrendered it to his captain in order for their valuable Fire Nation hostage to take up room in the best cabin on the ship. There was no way he was putting her in the hold with the other Fire Nation captives, no way he was putting anywhere except where he could keep an eye on her at night, sleeping with his own door open and hers firmly locked, as much to keep out his men as to keep her in.

His mind strayed towards thoughts of her way too much, especially tonight. She'd kissed him. Not a sisterly kiss on the cheek or motherly kiss on the forehead, but a gentle, warming kiss on the lips. It hadn't been a passionate declaration, something he would have immediately suspected of being a trick, an attempt at seduction; instead, there had been something sad and regretful about it. "Sokka, you're an idiot," he muttered to himself. Falling for a Fire Nation woman, especially one so close to the Princess Azula, was not a good idea. Especially since she could still be playing him.

"Of course she's playing me," he grumbled, turning on his side and punching his pillow. How could she not be? She was a captive, she knew she was nothing but a bargaining chip to him…or should be, at least. The problem was she'd managed to impress herself on him (and everyone else on the ship) as a person, not just a pawn in the eternal war against the Fire Nation. Not just a beautiful woman, either, but a beautiful woman he'd like to know better.

One he'd feel comfortable introducing to his family, should the occasion ever arise.

With a groan he flopped onto his stomach and pulled the pillow over his head, clutching it with both hands. There it was again, his stupid hormones getting in the way of his brain. He was smarter than this, he reminded himself sternly. He'd successfully led the tribe after his father's death, successfully helped the Avatar escape capture, successfully sunk a Fire Nation courier ship without sustaining more than minor damage to his small fleet, captured someone who could actually help him get his sister back; he'd accomplished those minor miracles, and yet he couldn't get one stupid female out of his mind.

He wished his sister was there to advise him. Of all the councilors he'd surrounded himself with, of all the advisors and battle-hardened warriors, he relied on her opinion the most, and didn't care who knew it. He'd wanted to name her co-chief when she came of age, but she wouldn't hear of it. "No, Sokka," had been her firm reply. "Of course I'm flattered, but you need to be the chief, we can't split the tribe's loyalties or attention, you know that. Name me Chief Advisor if you want, but not co-chief."

She'd been right, even if he hadn't wanted to admit it, but that was one of the reasons he wanted her to have the same status in the tribe as he did; she was often right. Even arguing for the Avatar to stay with them, something he'd only reluctantly agreed to and that had turned out exactly as he'd predicted it would, he'd allowed himself to be swayed by her passion, her insistence on doing the right thing. She was as much a moral compass as a sister to him, and he missed her sorely.

Signing that stupid treaty and allowing her to be carted off as a hostage against the tribe's good behavior had been a mistake, he saw that now. Katara herself had argued against it, not because she was frightened, but because she saw how damaging a precedent it was setting. Since the alternative was her own death or the destruction of their village, Sokka had disagreed. The northern polar tribes had been forced into a similar system for decades, and it had saved countless lives. That had been his argument, but now he saw it as a weakness.

Once the Fire Nation ship had left the polar seas and headed north, he'd gone into action, uprooting the entire tribe and sending them off to start new lives in a new village. They'd joined up with survivors of previous Fire Nation raids and attacks, people who'd been living marginal lives in other villages or as best they could in small family groups; it was part of the reason he'd taken so long to go after his sister. That, and persuading other tribes to do the same thing, and to join him on his expedition. He was still amazed it had worked, but apparently his powers of persuasion were better than he'd expected.

So here he was, trying to right a wrong he'd committed, on the verge of achieving his goal, when fortune had handed him the answer to the question he'd never stopped mulling: how would he force Prince Zuko to give up his sister? And here was Ty Lee, the perfect hostage to exchange.

The only problem was, she made too many troubling points about Princess Azula. Apparently her reputation wasn't exaggerated if one of her closest confidants had such a low opinion of her honor. Still, he'd come too far to back out now.

He pulled his head out from under the pillow and closed his eyes, doing his best to fall asleep.

Very soon, he'd know the answers, for good or ill.

**Ba Sing Se**

"Well? Where's Aang?" Toph demanded as the room fell silent. She felt a guilty heart-skip and turned unerringly to glare at Jet. "What happened?"

He spoke up reluctantly. "We went out. He didn't want to come back with me, so I sort of left him there."

"You left him where?" Toph demanded, allowing the irritation she was feeling full reign. "Jet, we talked about this…"

"He knows how to get back here!" Jet flared up, his heart rate increasing with anger this time rather than anxiety. "I told you he's too soft for this kind of work, Toph! You should have just trained him and sent him off to the northern Water Tribes to learn Water Bending!"

Toph stormed across the room, stopping just in front of Jet, invading his personal space as she thrust her face aggressively up toward his. "What happened!" she demanded, her voice cold. Combined with her empty stare, it was an unnerving sight.

"I found two Fire Nation spies and made the mistake of telling Baldy we needed to take them out," Jet replied through clenched teeth. "He went all wishy-washy on me so I told him you and I'd take care of them for him."

"Then you left him there, knowing how he feels about taking lives. Left him alone at the house of suspected Fire Nation spies," Toph said slowly, making sure she understood exactly what Jet was telling her. "Left him alone knowing what you planned to do." She bared her teeth in an unpleasant smile. "And what," she asked, in her sweetest tones, "do you think he did after that? Went for a long stroll around the city to think about it? Or," she added, her tone growing more and more strident with each word, "do you think he might have decided it would be the decent thing to do if he warned them, tried to convince them to leave? Huh? Well?"

She whirled on her heel without bothering to wait for an answer, leaving Jet and his companions gaping after her as she marched for the back door. "Where was it? Those guys from the tea house you were talking about?"

"Y-yes," Jet stuttered, mortified that he hadn't anticipated Aang's possible reaction before Toph pointed it out to him. "The one with the old man and the guy with the scar." He made as if to follow her; Toph whirled around and glared at him so fiercely he stopped in mid-step.

"Don't," she said, pointing an unwavering finger at him, then turned and darted out into the night.

**oOo**

"Somebody needs to tell me what's going on with Katara," Aang insisted. Iroh was impressed; instead of rising, the young man's voice deepened as he made his request.

"My sister is holding her hostage," Zuko replied after a moment's hesitation. He still wasn't sure why he didn't just ignore his uncle and attack, take the Avatar prisoner as he was duty- and honor-bound to do and Agni take the consequences. But something besides his uncle's cautionary words were at work here. Deep in his heart, he knew they were right but he knew something else as well; if he abandoned Katara and their nascent child to their fates, he could never live with himself. And if that meant enlisting the aid of the Avatar, then so be it.

Before he knew it, Zuko found himself explaining everything, not flinching from his own bad behavior on board the ship. "When I found out she'd tricked us, that she'd taken us away from you instead of toward you, that she was a Water Bender, I completely lost control of myself," he said quietly, eyes lowered in shame. "I forced myself on her and because of that, she's pregnant."

Before he could say another word, there was a sound like a growling saber-tooth moose-lion coming from the Avatar's lips, then the boy was in motion, not bothering to try for his staff, his hands latched around Zuko's throat while his knee impacted the princes' solar plexus, knocking the wind out of him. He crashed to the floor with Aang on top of him, fingers squeezing, eyes blazing with a white-hot fury.

**oOo**

Katara was just turning in when a sound at the window brought her to her feet. Her mouth opened in an "O" of surprise as their earlier visitor's head popped into view. Kya had rolled out of bed the instant she saw where Katara's attention was focused, snapping into a defensive pose and Bending the contents of the basin of water into tight balls of water hovering just above each hand.

"Can it," the girl snapped as she somersaulted neatly into the room, bouncing once on the bed before landing on her feet at its foot. "You say you're here to help Aang; now's the time to prove it."

"What's happened?" Katara demanded as she hastily began redressing herself. "Why the change of plans?"

"Because some people just don't know when to follow orders," the stranger said pointedly.

"We don't follow orders from people we don't know," Kya put in, just as pointedly, not relaxing her defensive stance an inch.

The stranger sighed mightily, blowing her thick brown bangs out of her face. "Fine, I'm Toph, I'm an Earth Bending Master and I've been teaching the Avatar for the past month, and if you want to keep your friend from getting himself killed, I suggest you come with me. Now."

That was enough for Katara. She finished scrambling into her clothes while Kya filled the two water bags the girls carried with them at all times. She, too, dressed herself after handing the filled bags to Katara to hold, while Toph shifted impatiently from foot to bare foot. As soon as Katara handed Kya her water bag, however, Toph was off like a shot, bounding up to balance on the window ledge. "Meet me downstairs," she said, then disappeared from sight.

Watching her simply drop over the edge of the window was almost as heart-stopping as it had been the first time, even knowing that she was merely dropping a few feet onto a column of earth that would carry her safely to the ground. Katara couldn't stifle a startled gasp as Kya reached out and grabbed her by the wrist, urging her toward the door.

They slipped quietly out of the house and met Toph around the side of the small building. Without a word she took off, the two of them following as quickly and as quietly as possible.

Katara's emotions were a jangle of fear and excitement. She was finally going to get to see Aang, and even more importantly, he'd found an Earth Bending Master to train him! On the other hand, he was in some kind of trouble, in danger of getting himself killed, and she worried they wouldn't reach him in time to save him. That would be the worst possible outcome, both for Aang her friend and for the Avatar, the only hope the world had of reconciliation and peace. If he died now, who knew how long it would be before the next Avatar would be reborn?

And if reborn, who knew how long it would be before the Fire Nation found him and put an end to him again, and again, as many times as it took? She could hardly bear the thought and pushed it resolutely from her mind. Right now Aang needed her, and he needed her clear-headed and focused, not worrying about things that might or might not ever happen.

* * *

_A/N: Whew, this has been one busy night in Ba Sing Se, and guess what: it's STILL not over for our Intrepid Band! Stay tuned, I promise more to come. Reviews welcome as always!_


	13. Keep Your Enemies Closer

Zuko managed to get one arm between the Avatar's hands, then his other arm, and shoved them away from each other with as much force as he could manage. The younger boy was surprisingly strong, and Zuko assumed it had something to do with the way his eyes were glowing, a brilliant silvery white that fascinated and frightened him at the same time. Still, he was a warrior trained, and even the unnerving sight wasn't enough to do more than give him pause. He shoved again and Aang was forced to release his grasp, momentarily caught off balance.

Zuko took advantage of that moment and shoved Aang completely off his body. The Avatar tucked into a somersault and deftly jumped back to his feet at the same time Zuko resumed his. They circled each other warily, and when Aang sprang forward, Zuko was prepared. He ducked under the attack, stepping back lightly as Aang sprawled to the floor, then sprang up and yanked his sword free from the ceiling; there was no time for him to try and get the other one from its hiding place beneath his bed.

Aang had regained his feet once again and seemed intent on continuing the attack when the sound of the room's single door banging open caught his attention.

That small distraction was enough for Zuko to land a single, flat-handed blow to the side of the Avatar's head, knocking him instantly unconscious. With lightning speed, he was facing the door, body tense in expectation of attack before Aang's body finished collapsing to the floor.

"Aang!"

Zuko recognized that voice, and the unexpected sound of Katara calling out the Avatar's name in anguish, the sight of her pushing impatiently past the other two female figures in the doorway, froze him, left him unprepared for the stone that smacked into his temple and dropped him into as graceless a heap on the floor as Aang.

Iroh watched all this dispassionately, not moving, keeping his hands lowered by his sides and open, careful to reveal that he held no weapons and was no immediate threat. While the other Water Tribe girl stood guard over him, the Earth Bender who'd felled his nephew with such impressive speed and accuracy despite her obvious blindness remained by the door, leaning against the frame as if unconcerned now that she'd made her contribution to this sorry mess.

Katara was fussing over Aang, although it was to her credit that she spared a moment to examine Zuko as well. Was she disappointed or relieved that her former captor wasn't dead? Iroh couldn't tell, her dark hair hiding her features from his view as she turned back to examine Aang.

Iroh wasn't concerned about the Avatar; he'd taught Zuko that trick himself, many years ago, and unless one's opponent had already suffered a debilitating blow to the head, there was no way the open palm strike could do more than knock one unconscious.

"He's just unconscious!" Katara cried, relief clear in her voice. "So's he," she added with remarkably less enthusiasm, jerking a thumb at Zuko. She raised her gaze to meet Iroh's. "I see you tracked down the Avatar," she said quietly.

Iroh shrugged. "Actually, he tracked us down," he corrected her, keeping his voice calm and even. He'd heard the edge of restrained hysteria in the girl's voice and wasn't about to do anything to push her over that edge. "Do you perhaps wish to know why he attacked my nephew?"

"Because he knew who he was?" That was the girl standing by the door. She walked confidently into the room, stopping only a few paces from Aang's side and orienting herself so she appeared to be looking directly at Iroh with her unsettling silver eyes. "Why else?"

Iroh sighed. "Because my nephew was foolish enough to tell him the truth about how he'd treated Katara after Aang escaped us in the South Pole." It was important that he let Katara know about this right away. Not that he expected mere words to ever soften her toward Zuko, but she had to be made to understand that the prince understood the concept of honor in spite of his previous behavior.

Katara continued to study Iroh, forehead wrinkled in confusion. "Why would he do that?" she asked, not questioning the truth of Iroh's words, but unable to comprehend the reasons behind such a revelation.

"Because Princess Azula demanded our surrender in return for your safety," Iroh replied, this time relying on Katara to understand exactly what he meant without forcing him to spell it out. In case not everyone in the room was aware of her "interesting condition."

Katara paled, then flushed, then paled again. Instantly the blind girl was at her side, offering a steady hand. "Whoa, there, Sweetness; your heart rate just tripled. Don't worry," she added, obviously misinterpreting the reason for Katara's distress. "You know we won't let Evil Bitch get her claws on you again."

Katara shook her head, steadied herself with one hand on Aang's shoulder. "No, it's not that, it's just…why would she think Zuko would do something like that, trade himself for…me?" Her troubled glance fell on Aang's pale face, the red mark from Zuko's open-handed slap almost as clear as the scar on the prince's own face.

Iroh heard the clear hesitation in her voice before speaking the final word; so, he'd been right to offer discretion. "Because, in spite of her many shortcomings, the Princess Azula is very adept at reading people, at discerning how they think. And she has had many years to perfect the art of getting into Zuko's head. She knew he would never abandon you once he knew the truth."

"Y'know, all of this is really interesting and stuff, but we need to get moving," the blind girl announced, leaning closer to Aang and patting him lightly on his unstruck cheek. "Hey, Twinkle Toes, time to wake up. Tie the other one up," she added, looking at Katara. "Before he wakes up and starts more trouble."

"What about this one?" the third member of the odd trio demanded.

Iroh studied her with interest; she looked vaguely familiar, as if he'd seen her somewhere before. Perhaps in the tea shop? He gave an internal shrug. Surely not; if such an exotic beauty had ever graced the shop he'd have no problem remembering her. Putting the question aside for a time when he could devote the proper amount of time to the problem, he held out his hands, moving slowly. "If you feel it is necessary, I will not stop you from binding my wrists. But I give you my word that I will offer no resistance, that I will accompany you willingly."

When the third girl continued to hesitate, Katara spoke up. She'd already rolled Zuko onto his side and was busy tying his wrists together behind his back. "You can trust him. When Lord Iroh gives his word, he means it."

The Earth Bender simply shrugged, giving no sign that Iroh's name meant anything to her, but the third girl flinched. Interesting. He still couldn't place her, but he would. He had no doubts about that.

**oOo**

Aang came around only a few minutes ahead of Zuko, groaning a little as his eyes flickered open. "Wha-what happened?" he mumbled as Katara helped him to a sitting position.

"You were knocked out," she replied, keeping her voice quiet but unable to hide her relief that he was awake. She offered him a quick hug, which he willingly returned. "I was so worried about you!" She leaned back on her heels, her expression turning serious. "We were lucky we got here when we did or someone might have gotten really hurt."

"Yeah, that stupid Fire Bender," Aang grumbled, glaring over at Zuko's form. "Why did you stop me?" he demanded, turning back to Katara. "I had him…"

"I know," she soothed, catching his hands in hers, forcing his attention back to her. "I know. But we couldn't just let the two of you go at each other; eventually someone in the neighborhood would have heard something and summoned the watch." She smiled, the smile that had so charmed him when he first escaped the icy sleep in which he'd spent a long, lonely century of troubled dreams. "And now we have to get out of here."

"What about them?" Aang demanded, then did a double-take as he noticed that Zuko's hands were bound behind him. "Oh, I guess we're taking them with us?"

Katara nodded, glancing at Toph for confirmation. "Sure, the more the merrier," was the younger girl's sour response. "Hey, you, wake up!" she added, turning to shake Zuko roughly by the shoulder.

It was the Fire Nation prince's turn to groan and wrestle his way back to consciousness. When he tried to put one hand to his no-doubt aching head, however, he discovered his bound condition and scowled fiercely.

"Don't fight it, nephew," Iroh urged. They locked eyes, and Zuko slowly forced down the inner fire he'd been stoking in order to burn the cursed ropes from around his wrists. "I advise you to go along with our new…" He paused, obviously considering the next word carefully before offering: "…acquaintances." _For now,_ his eyes said, clear as words, and Zuko nodded, indicating his agreement.

"How did you get here?" he asked Katara in a low voice once he'd been helped to his feet by the Earth Kingdom girl. "My sister claimed she had you as a prisoner…"

"Why would you care?" Katara demanded, still not looking at him. "You were so busy going after the Avatar, even after your sister tried to kill you, you couldn't possibly have had time to worry about me."

She had much more to say to him, but not now, not in front of anyone else. Crowding all other thoughts out of her mind was the insistent need to know why he'd told Aang the truth about how he'd attacked her back in the South Pole. Why? She had to know, would know, but not now. Not until they were safe.

"Where are we going?" she asked Toph in quiet tones as she caught up with the sure-footed youngster. They were waiting in a small alley off the back of the tea shop, making sure there was no one to see them as they made their way back to what Toph called "headquarters" but refused to otherwise discuss.

"I told you, headquarters," Toph replied, then gave the signal for everyone to follow her.

It was nerve-wracking, following a blind girl down the dark down the streets and alleys of an unfamiliar city, but they did it. No one spoke for the remainder of the journey, not until they'd reached a mid-sized home in one of the better parts of the city. Not a palace or even a mansion, but impressive nonetheless. Especially, Katara admitted silently, since she'd been expecting some hole-in-the-wall hovel as their ultimate destination. Someplace out of the way where Aang could remain hidden and safe from any pursuit.

Toph had explained the situation to her and Kya when they were rushing to the tea house to rescue Aang from the treacherous hands of the Fire Nation. Only of course things hadn't been as expected; who would have predicted, for example, that they'd find Aang the apparent aggressor and that eerie silver glow to his eyes as he went after Zuko?

Katara shivered at the memory. Aang had talked about the Avatar State, and she suspected that silver-eyed stare was part of it.

**oOo**

They filed one by one into and through a large, spotlessly clean kitchen and through a second door that opened to reveal a set of stone steps leading downward. Aang grabbed a candle, keeping a wary eye on Zuko as he did so, but the prince kept his face straight ahead, neck held proudly, as if it would be beneath him to use such a meager source as a weapon.

"Come on, time for a council," Toph announced to the room's other occupants, an older woman and handsome if scowling young man, both wearing Earth Kingdom style clothing. Without waiting to see if they would follow, she made her surefooted way down the stairs.

Aang gestured for Iroh and Zuko to go next, then Kya and then Katara and himself taking the rear. No, not quite; the other two fell into step behind him, and Katara wondered if she should be making introductions or just wait till they reached whatever final destination Toph had in mind for them.

She opted to wait; the stairway was narrow, filled with unexpected twists and turns, dark and smelling faintly of damp. Brushing her fingers along the wall for guidance, she continued down, down, for what seemed an eternity, until suddenly she reached the cool stone floor of a room that opened out immediately into a much larger space than she'd been anticipating.

Once all of them had entered that space, Toph plopped onto the sagging cushions of an old couch that sat in the middle of the room. A mismatched set of low chairs and several beat-up looking floor cushions made a rough semi-circle extending on either side of the couch. Toph waved an arm. "Come on, sit, get comfortable." She cocked her head toward Zuko. "Is your word as good as your uncle's?"

"If it wasn't I'd have already burned these ropes off by now," the prince replied icily, stopping just short of a sneer. "But if you need to hear it, then yes, I give my word not to attack. Unless," he added pointedly, "I'm attacked first."

Toph nodded. "Works for me. Go ahead and burn them off," she added. "I don't think you'd be willing to trust any of us around you with a knife." A smile curled the edges of her lips, and suddenly she looked as young as she must be.

"Why did you bring _them_ here?" the young man who'd been in the kitchen demanded as he stared at Zuko, watching with hard eyes every move the Fire Bender made. "They're Fire Nation," he added unnecessarily as the ropes sizzled, caught, then fell away from Zuko's wrists. With a flourish he caught them, clapped his hands together and put out the flames. The stranger turned back to Toph. "Toph, are you _crazy_?"

She turned that eerie silver gaze on him. "Not crazy enough to tell them my name, but thanks, Jet, now there's no point in putting off the introductions." Abashed, he slouched into the nearest chair, waiting in sullen silence as the others took seats of their own.

"Well, as loudmouth said, I'm Toph. You already know Katara and Aang, this is Mi-Mi and that, of course, is Jet. The worst hot-head outside the Fire Nation." She jerked her head to indicate the other Water Tribe girl. "This is Katara's friend Kya, don't know anything about her at all and all we know about Katara is what Aang's told us, which, believe me, is plenty. She's all that's good and noble in the world, blah, blah, blah."

"As most of you already know, I am Lord Iroh and this is my nephew, Prince Zuko," Iroh completed the introductions with a low bow in the direction of Mi-Mi.

That made the two newcomers stiffen. "Prince Zuko?" the older woman asked, sounding incredulous. "In my cellar?" She fluttered her hands around the edges of her hairdo, as if concerned suddenly for her looks, then flushed and returned her hands to her lap. "And Lord Iroh, the Dragon of the West," she murmured, sounding like a young girl meeting celebrated musicians or actors unexpectedly. "Such honored guests in my humble home."

Curiously she seemed to mean it. Her voice held none of the animosity that marked Jet's nor the mockery that seemed to be Toph's favorite way of expressing things.

Jet had sprung to his feet upon hearing Zuko's name and title, now he paced back and forth in an agitated manner. "This is perfect!" He sounded excited. "With hostages like these, we can demand anything we want…"

"The only thing you'll get if you offer us up as hostages is your head burned off by my sister for daring to imply that we're worth bargaining for," Zuko put in sourly. "Sorry to burst your bubble, but we're no more welcome in the Fire Nation than you would be. The best you'll get for us might be a bounty if one were offered. But since my dear sister wants the credit for taking us in herself, I doubt you'd get even that much."

"So what do we do with you," Toph mused. "Jet wants your heads just because you're Fire Nation, and from what Aang told me, he's not too keen on your company, either. What about you, Sweetness?" She tilted her head toward Katara. "Any suggestions?"

Wordless, Katara shook her head "no." She felt overwhelmed; however she'd expected this evening to turn out, this hadn't been it. Not even close. Reuniting with Aang, yes, reuniting with Iroh and Zuko without being taken prisoner again, no. Not in a million years.

"Perhaps we might come to some kind of an agreement," Iroh put in smoothly. "If my sources are correct, I believe we have not only found people who are helping the Avatar, but also perhaps those who are leery of the power Long Feng holds over the Earth King?"

The consternation his quiet words caused was immediate and vocal, at least on Jet's part. "They know too much!" he shouted, once again on his feet, eyes blazing with fury. "Let's just kill them and get it over with!"

"No!" Toph and Aang both shouted back at the same time. The Earth Bender stamped her foot to emphasize her point, causing a mild earthshock to ripple through the stone flooring and up into the walls. A fine rain of dust fell upon them from between the wooden rafters supporting the floor of the house above, and the older woman wore an expression of disapproval as she wiped the powdery material away from her face and hair.

"No one's killing anyone, not in cold blood and not in my house," Mi-Mi said firmly, rising to her feet. "Lord Iroh, Prince Zuko, you have given your words not to attack us. May we also have your word that you will not reveal your suspicions about us to anyone outside this room?"

"It is given," was Iroh's prompt reply. Zuko offered a low bow, holding it a respectful length of time before straightening.

"Well, that's certainly good enough for me," Mi-Mi said. "Now. It's been a long night and everyone needs to get some sleep before any further decisions are made."

"That's insane," Jet muttered, but quietly, and it was obvious from the anxious look he shot her way that he hoped Mi-Mi hadn't heard him.

If she did she gave no sign, merely studied Zuko and Iroh, then glanced at Aang and Katara, sitting cross-legged next to each other on matching green floor cushions. "It seems to me that you four have some things to work out between you," she pronounced. "So we'll give you some privacy to discuss it. There are extra bedrooms on the second and third floors," she added. "I'll have them ready for you whenever you are ready to join us." Then she headed for the stairs, herding Toph, Kya and Jet along with her. "Come along," she said firmly, when Toph and Jet tried to protest. "You know I don't like to interfere in your business, but this is beginning to interfere in my own business. We'll settle everything in the morning."

Katara stared after them, then stared at the remaining three. "Jet's right," she announced disbelievingly. "This is insane!" She glared at Zuko. "You attacked Aang and tried to trade him to your sister…" Her voice trailed off as she remembered what Iroh had told her. "And you told Aang what you did to me," she finished in a near whisper. "Why? Why would do something like that?"

Before Zuko could answer, Iroh grunted and rose wearily to his feet. "I believe the rest of this conversation is best conducted in private," he announced with a pointed glance at Aang. "Will you show me to the rooms our lovely hostess spoke of?"

Aang was obviously not interested in leaving Zuko alone with Katara under any circumstances, but when he protested she smiled at him. "Zuko gave his word, and Iroh has given his as well. Besides," she added, the smile fading, "if he so much as looks at me funny I've learned a few Water Bending tricks. More than just dumping a basin of water on your head." This last was directed at Zuko with a warning look accompanying her words.

"You're safe with me," he vowed. He appeared to want to say more, but hesitated and remained silent until Iroh and Aang left the room, the former after many hesitations of his own and a whispered promise to Katara to be by her side the instant she needed him. She kissed his cheek and watched as he left, taking the steps slowly, one at a time, but finally disappearing from view.

Zuko waited until she returned her attention to him. He remained as still as possible, keeping his hands by his sides, even though he desperately wanted to pace while they had this conversation. But he wanted her to feel unthreatened, and so he sat, waiting patiently for her to speak.

"Why?" she finally asked, then couldn't resist adding bitterly: "Guilty conscience?"

To her surprise he nodded. "Yeah, something like that. Also because my sister claims you're carrying my child, and I would do anything necessary to keep any child of mine and its mother out of my sister's hands. _Anything_," he emphasized, then searched her face, body taut with the need to know. "Is it true?"

Katara nodded; there was no point in lying to him, not if Azula had already revealed the truth. "Don't worry, I wasn't planning to burden you with child care," she snapped. "And don't bother planning to be a part of this baby's life, either. I don't want you in it. As soon as I can I'm leaving, going somewhere safe and as far away from you and your crazy sister as I can get."

"You don't understand," Zuko said, forcing away the unthinking anger that arose at her harsh words. He deserved them, and worse, and he knew it, but now was not the time to let his temper get the better of him. Look where that had landed them in the first place… "Now that Azula knows about the baby, she'll never rest until she gets you back, because she knows it'll be a way to control me."

He had her full attention now, and plunged on. "Yes, my first reaction when Aang showed up in our room was to trade him to Azula, that if she had the both of us, and Uncle Iroh too because he'd never let me surrender myself without surrendering himself as well, that's just the way he is…that if Azula had three people she wanted she'd let you go, that she'd accept the trade without resorting to treachery." He drew a ragged breath, then let it out in a soundless sigh. "But Uncle knew I was living in a fantasy world, that once she had us all Azula would never let any of us go."

"You said she'd use me and the baby to control you," Katara said as she considered his words.

Zuko nodded wearily. "She'd probably have killed Aang and my uncle, then forced me into helping her with whatever insane plans she's cooking up, either to help our father…or to help herself to the throne. The Fire Lord would never expect treachery from his darling daughter." He couldn't help the bitterness that laced his every word. "She's a viper and always has been. No one matters to Azula except Azula."

Katara had a glimpse into the sort of life Zuko must have lived, the household he must have grown up in, and repressed a shudder at the thought. No wonder he'd turned out arrogant and cold; no wonder he'd reacted so terribly when he realized how thoroughly she'd tricked him.

That thought covered the sympathy in a sheath of icy hatred. No matter what kind of life he'd lived, it didn't excuse what he'd done to her.

Apparently Zuko was thinking along the same lines; his face hardened with an expression of self-loathing as he forced himself to meet her gaze. "I know it's unforgivable, what I did to you. I know saying I'm sorry can't begin to make up for any of it, but I want you to know I am. Sorry. Very sorry."

"Sorry you did it or just sorry now that you know about the baby?" she asked, her voice still cold. "You're right, it isn't enough. It'll never be enough." She folded her arms and turned away from him.

She heard him issue another soft sigh. "No, it won't," he said simply. "But I had to say the words. And I'm not just sorry because of the baby," he added, his voice coming from farther away than it had been. While she hadn't been looking he'd risen to his feet and moved toward the stairs. "I'm sorry I turned out to be such a weakling and a fool and that I took my frustrations out on you in the first place."

With that he ascended the stairs, leaving her alone with only the candle stub for company.

* * *

_A/N: I struggled with this chapter, completely rewriting it at least twice before coming up with something I was half-way happy with. On to struggle with What Happens Next. R&R if you please!_


	14. At Sea

**One Week Later**

Things settled into uneasy routine in the Mishara household, although things were hardly settled in Zuko's mind.

He and Iroh were sparring together in Mishara's hidden enclosure. How she'd managed such a thing deep in the heart of Ba Sing Se was still a mystery to him, and he suspected it would remain that way forever. It was enclosed but well lit, and designed as if created with the Avatar in mind, allowing for training in all four Bending styles.

Right now, however, it was being used solely for Fire Bending as Zuko finally allowed his uncle to help him improve his Bending techniques. He'd concentrated for a long time on mastering his sword fighting techniques, as much in rebellion against his father's favoritism toward Azula as anything. In fact, he was willing to admit, at least to himself, solely due to that consideration. If he couldn't best his sister in one art, he'd damned well manage it in another.

Now, however, he could no longer afford to neglect his Bending training. He'd fallen woefully behind Azula, and if she was going to continue to come after him, as he suspected she would, then he'd need all his skills at their sharpest in order to stay alive—or even, the gods willing, to defeat her.

He held no illusions as to what his future looked like: a hunted fugitive from his own people, a child on the way that had an equal chance of being a Water Bender as a Fire Bender, and living its life as much a fugitive as the man who fathered it.

He hated thinking of the baby as "it", but was loathe to start thinking of the child as either a son or a daughter, not just yet. He still had mixed emotions about his impending fatherhood as well as a considerable stock of self-hatred as to how the child had been conceived, but he was relieved to discover that he didn't automatically hate the baby, that the shock of learning of its existence had given him new purpose rather in life rather than causing him to fall apart.

Katara, on the other hand, was still a mystery to him. He couldn't tell if she hated the child she carried for the fact of how it was fathered, and by whom, or if she would tolerate it once it was born, or if she could bring herself to love it.

Hell, at the moment she could barely bring herself to tolerate _his_ presence, although she spoke occasionally to his uncle in a civil voice, appearing to bear him no extra ill-will other than that, he was painfully learning, that everyone not of the Fire Nation bore towards their conquerors.

And as conquerors they were viewed, not as bringers of civilization as propaganda back home would have it. No one but the Fire Nation viewed their destiny as that of bringing the world under one government, united instead of divided, peacefully coexisting instead of fighting.

When he mentioned this epiphany to his uncle, Iroh had merely grunted in agreement, but his eyes had gleamed with satisfaction, as if this was a conclusion he'd been hoping Zuko would reach on his own one day.

However, this sudden insight didn't end Zuko's internal struggles as to how to proceed next. For now he and his uncle were treated as honored guests, at least when Lady Mishara was around. Aang and Jet were openly hostile, Katara was coolly neutral at best, and Toph treated them exactly as she treated everyone else in the household, even to giving them both nicknames. Zuko was "Sparky," which he hated because it sounded like a diminutive you'd give a child, and Uncle Iroh was "Tea Man", which seemed to tickle him no end.

The only one Zuko couldn't get a good read on was Kya. Katara's northern Water Tribe friend troubled him, and not just because she was a former slave of Azula's. Her story made sense; it was exactly how his sister would handle things, get a Water Bender on her side by threatening her family and friends, then hide her away so even their father didn't know about her, that his darling daughter had broken one of his most emphatic rules: Bring all Water Benders to his attention so he could decide their fate personally.

The fact that Zuko didn't know about Kya didn't necessarily mean that Ozai didn't know about her, either, but Zuko suspected he didn't. Of course he could simply ask her, but he wasn't ready to make that decision, not just yet.

Not when he had to decide exactly what he was going to do next. "Honored guests" or not, he and his Uncle weren't allowed to simply stroll out of Mishara's property the way Jet, Aang and Toph were. The fact that Kya and Katara had been courteously but firmly denied the same privilege made it clear that they were all in the same boat for now.

Until they committed themselves one way or another, they weren't leaving this house.

Zuko just wasn't sure he was ready to take the step toward true treason, no matter how many doubts he had about his father and the righteousness of the century-long war, no matter that he was wanted for treason already even if he hadn't committed it yet.

To be honest, only Katara's pregnancy kept Zuko from attempting to leave. He'd intended to ensure her safety and that was still his intention; if she chose to remain with the rebels and help in their attempts to free the Earth King from Long Feng's poisonous influence, then he would remain as well. Further involvement on his part would remain theoretical only until he decided whether or not he wanted to cross the line from perceived traitor to true traitor.

**Elsewhere**

The attempt at negotiation had gone as disastrously as Ty Lee had predicted. Of course, even she couldn't have guessed at the magnitude of the disaster Sokka's rough-edged attempt at diplomacy would cause, the number of dead and dying on ship and shore, lives sacrificed, and for what?

For love, she told herself as she sat, legs crossed, on the sand next to Sokka's unconscious form. For love, for family, all things she herself had forsaken so many years ago. Well, not physical love, of course, but the ideal love Sokka seemed capable of fostering. Certainly not a type of love Azula would ever understand or have patience for.

Sokka's command lay in pieces at the bottom of the ocean now, as well as most of his men and the Fire Nation prisoners they'd taken. When it became obvious that Azula's only intention was to turn their wooden sailing ships into so much kindling, the prisoners had been released from the hold, at least on Sokka's ship, allowed to make their way to freedom if they could and die with the others if they couldn't.

Even sailors who had jumped into the ocean, strong swimmers all, had been mercilessly hunted down and killed, half-burned and left to drown within sight of shore.

Only Sokka had escaped the carnage on his own ship, and only because Ty Lee had defied Azula to save him. She still wasn't sure why; defiance wasn't the type of thing the princess forgave, even from her most trusted comrades. Mai might get away with it; she was always considered the more useful of the pair of them, but certainly not if trying to save the life of a worthless Water Tribe chieftain who had the arrogance to try and barter one prisoner for another.

Well, at least Ty Lee retained no illusions as to how much Azula valued her. "Trade? The hostage you gave up by treaty? In exchange for _one_ person?" Azula's voice had pealed with laughter. "Sorry, Ty Lee, but I can't let anyone try and put me into such a position of weakness." Then she'd opened fire on Sokka's ship and turned to blast him to cinders when Ty Lee pushed him over the side of the ship and joined him.

A glancing blow to the head had rendered him unconscious almost as soon as he hit the water, and the burn would leave a nasty scar if left untreated, but Ty Lee, a strong swimmer, had been allowed to drag him to shore, where she currently sat and awaited the outcome of the battle.

If Sokka were conscious, if Azula's fire ball had missed him completely, they might already have started the journey inland, toward whatever safety the Earth Kingdom could offer, but nothing had brought him around and so she sat and watched and cried silent, miserable tears as she watched another ship destroyed.

The remains of the small fleet were tacking away, obviously intent on retreat, but she watched as Azula's flagship pursued every last one of them, watched as the sun set and smoke and fire poured from the wreckage and waited for Azula to turn toward shore and come after the two of them.

She never did.

**Ba Sing Se**

"There's been some kind of battle off shore," Jet announced two days later, studiously ignoring the two Fire Nation "guests" at the breakfast table. Lady Mishara and Katara had prepared the meal while Toph complained loudly that she'd always had to make her meals and why did _they_ get special treatment?

Everyone ignored her, and she fell silent as Jet continued: "One Fire Nation battleship this time."

That time he did dart a glance at Zuko, a sneer curling his upper lip. "Taking out their frustrations on someone else this time than each other, more's the pity."

"So who were they fighting, then?" Mishara asked. The Earth Kingdom had no navy to speak of, only armed merchant vessels and escorts.

Jet shrugged. "Dunno. Descriptions vary with whoever I talk to. Most say six or seven wooden sailing ships with some kind of big, swooping sails they've never seen before…"

Everyone started as Katara dropped the bowl of porridge she was carrying to the table. Her deeply tanned complexion had paled. "How were the sails painted?" she asked, hurrying to Jet's side. "With orcas or dolphin-whales, anything like that? Were they deep blue or sky blue or white?"

"Water Tribe ships," Zuko interjected before Jet could answer, instantly seeing where Katara's questioning was going. "Could they have been Southern Water Tribe?" He searched in his pocket for a stylus, then sketched a quick drawing on the napkin at his place setting, shoving it toward Jet when he finished. "Did they look like this?"

Jet took the napkin reluctantly, keeping his attention mostly focused on Katara. "I guess," he said doubtfully. "Maybe if I show this around…can you draw out the animals you're talking about?"

Katara nodded, reaching eagerly for the napkin to add her own sketches to the accurate one Zuko had drawn of her homeland's vessels. When she finished, she handed the napkin back to Jet, who grabbed a handful of rolled hot-cakes and stuffed half of them in his mouth as he headed back out the door, to ensure finding those who'd traded gossip with him earlier that morning.

"So, what's all the fuss, Water Momma?" That was Toph, cutting to the chase as usual, when everyone else could tell how upset Katara was and wanted to give her time to compose herself. "Would your brother the chief do something so stupid as to follow you?"

"I hope not," Katara said, her voice trembling just the slightest bit as she knelt to clean up the mess she'd made in spite of Mishara's entreaties to "just sit down, dear, we'll clean it later."

"I hope not, too," Zuko replied seriously as he and Iroh exchanged troubled looks. "If they catch Azula in the right mood, she's likely to attack without even trying to find out what they want, and no disrespect to the courage or sailing abilities of the Southerners, her ship could cut them down with no trouble at all."

Inside he was boiling with rage. How dare the young chieftain come after a hostage given over to the care of the Fire Nation, after treaties had been signed and tribute had been offered and accepted? Did the man's word mean _nothing_ to him?

The anger died as quickly as it blazed when he looked over at Katara. She stood by the scrap bin, scraping bits of porridge off the broken dish, her hair hiding her face, but he knew how she would look. Troubled, at best, worried for her brother's safety and really, who else could it be? And how could a loving brother _not_ come after a sister in distress? If he and Azula had been raised to love each other instead of to consider each other competition for the throne and their father's prickly brand of love, he knew he would do anything to save her.

Instead, his sister was trying to kill him. Somehow he couldn't picture Sokka ever raising a hand against Katara, or vice versa. The dying rage within his breast turned to a gut-churning sense of jealousy, envy that mere peasants from a backward tribe could have something denied to the son of the Fire Lord. That emotion passed, leaving him wistful as he considered how different his childhood would have been, had he been born to a normal family that took care of each other.

When that emotion in turn threatened to become self-pity, he mentally shook himself, ordered himself to snap out of it, and returned his attention to the room at large.

Breakfast was continuing around him, and it appeared no one but his uncle had noticed his intense round of navel-gazing. He took up his chopsticks and filled his plate, concentrating on feeding himself, girding himself for whatever the day had to throw at them.

It was only after the table was cleared that Katara noticed that Kya was missing.

Without saying anything to anyone she slipped upstairs, to see if her friend was there. No sign. She checked the lower floor and even the basement: no sign of her. Reluctantly she turned to Toph, quietly asking the blind girl to help her figure out where Kya had gone.

"Sweetness is missing?" Toph sounded surprised. "Huh, I didn't even notice, too busy trying to get Aang away from our Fire Nation buddies. I should have realized; she's the one who likes to play peace keeper."

Aang had spent the remainder of the meal glowering at Zuko and making snide comments about the Fire Nation until the young man had risen from his seat and announced his intention to practice his Bending. Iroh had followed him, Katara had vanished for a while, while Toph had physically restrained Aang from following Zuko and Iroh. "Stop trying to cause trouble," she'd scolded him. He'd snapped back, an argument had ensued, then a slight tussle that Mishara had broken up with a sharp word, then Katara had approached as Aang slouched off in a snit.

Toph went silent and still, and Katara remained quiet, knowing that the younger girl was using her uncanny skills to search out the heartbeats in the house and the underground training area. "Nope, not here," Toph announced after a long minute. She sounded uneasy, as well she should; both Water Benders knew they weren't prisoners, exactly, but they also knew they were hiding out in a house full of spies, and that breaking the rules could spell danger to the rebels and especially to Aang. People were finally starting to think that the Avatar had left the city, which was why Aang stayed indoors as much as he did even with his disguise firmly in place.

"I'd better go after her," Toph decided, and Katara only barely stopped herself from offering to help. Having one of them wandering around the city was bad enough; Mishara would have a stroke if both of them wandered off. "Tell Mi-Mi where I went and why. When I find Sweetness," she added with a glower, "I'll warn her that my earful will be nothing compared to the one she'll get from my aunt."

"Understood," Katara said softly, then watched as Toph slipped out the kitchen door. When it closed behind the younger girl, she sighed and headed into the parlor to tell Lady Mishara the bad news. With any luck, it was just a kind impulse; Katara found herself praying that Kya had merely gone after Jet to help him find out about the sea battle.

On the other hand, Kya had been Azula's creature for a long time. What if…

Katara forced her mind away from the thought. It didn't bear thinking about.


	15. Back Alley Dealings

**oOo**

Jet knew he was being followed, but he also knew he could lose his follower any time he wanted. He was more curious to see what she would do than he was interested in ditching her, however, so he made sure she was able to keep him in sight.

When he reached his destination, instead of stopping he kept moving, casually wending his way through the crowded streets of the market. The entrance to an alley loomed on his left, and he ducked into at the last second, hiding behind a large refuse container as he waited to see what his tracker would do.

After a few seconds passed and she did not, he peeked his head out.

Immediately a knife appeared at his throat and a soft voice whispered in his ear: "Back in the alley."

Jet did as ordered, cursing himself for his overconfidence. If she was good enough to slip in behind him and put a knife to his throat without his noticing, then it followed she was good enough not to be seen in the first place. Therefore, he concluded, she wanted him to see her, expected him to act pretty much as he had, and had always been in control of the situation.

Bitch.

"What do you want?" he asked, risking a slit throat but not willing to just stand there in silence a moment longer.

"I want you to understand your bargaining position," she whispered against his ear, her breath hot against his cheek but pleasant, not foul, sweet almost. Funny how the body noticed things so clearly when death was on the line. Inconsequentials tried to flood his mind, regrets and might-have-beens, but he had no time for them. Not when the word "bargaining" had been spoken. Bargaining meant the possibility of getting out of this situation alive.

"What do you want?" he asked. "It can't be money, cause I don't have any."

"That's debatable, but no, it isn't money." She continued to whisper, to stand so close behind him he could feel her body against his, one arm resting on his shoulder and collar bone in order to support the dagger, the other hand on the opposite arm, holding it tightly but not painfully. "I know who you are, who your friends are and who you've welcomed so recently into your 'secret' hideaway," she continued. "But you already know that. What you may not know is that I also know where your two other friends are, what were their names?"

She paused as if to remember, but he tensed, knowing with a sick feeling in his gut that she knew those names already. "Ah, yes. Longshot and Smellerbee." She made a disdainful "tching" sound with her tongue. "What a name for a girl. Surely you don't call it out in the middle of the night when you're banging her."

He tensed further, made an abortive move to turn and beat the mockery out of her, but the knife moved, grazing his throat, raising a line of blood, and he swallowed down his rage. Right now, she had the upper hand. But things could change, and he'd be sure to take advantage the instant her guard dropped. "So you know my other friends' names. Big deal," he sneered. "Anyone could have found that out if they wanted to. It's not that big a secret."

"No, the big secret is that your two compatriots have managed to infiltrate the royal palace and are spying on Lee Fong for you there," the murmuring voice replied. "That's enough for me to set the Dai Li on you, destroy your cozy little nest of spies under Lady Mishara and capture the Avatar as well."

"If you wanted to do that, with the information you already have on me, you'd have done it already," Jet said, remaining absolutely still even though all he wanted to do knock this arrogant woman off her feet and cut her throat. However, she was the one holding the knife, therefore he was the one forced to be patient. "You know where we live, you know how to take us down. Why haven't you?"

"Because you have something my employer wants. She has no interest in the internal politics of Ba Sing Se; she's confident the city will fall well before anyone takes out Long Feng and the Dai Li. What she wants is something you want as well: the capture of Prince Zuko and the Dragon of the West. If we work together," the knife vanished from his throat, "then we can both achieve our goals with a minimum of bloodshed."

Jet's first instinct was to turn and confront his attacker, to disarm her and teach her a lesson. Fortunately he listened to his gut, which told him doing so wouldn't necessarily end the way he wanted it to. Instead, he remained still, not bothering to turn around. Thinking, instead of reacting. That lesson had been painfully burned into him by the Fire Nation years ago. He could still hear the dying screams of friends and comrades, the sizzling of lightning bolts and the crackle and pop of flames consuming the forest, bodies living and dead, their encampment…He closed his eyes against the memory as he finally spoke. "That's all you want? The two Fire Nation bastards?"

"That's all," she breathed against his neck, and he fought a sudden shiver as the hand on his arm loosened its grip and slid down to his wrist with a feathery slide of fingers against skin before withdrawing. "You and your friends can keep playing at rebellion and spying on your own people; that's no concern of mine." She gave a nasty chuckle. "For as long as it lasts, Ba Sing Se can be your playground. My prisoners and I will be long gone and out of your hair." There was a brief pause, and then she added: "Oh, and I want the Avatar, of course.

"No deal," Jet replied flatly. "He's too valuable. You can have Zuko and Iroh and even Katara for all I care, but not the Avatar."

A long silence followed his words, and he wondered if he'd be rewarded for his refusal with a sudden thrust of her knife in his back.

Instead, she gave another low chuckle. "Very well. I'll just have to find another way to get at the Avatar. Deal?"

"Deal," Jet agreed, without hesitation. Toph would be pissed, and Lady Mishara, but so be it. He'd incurred their wrath in the past and would no doubt incur it in the future, but the Fire Nation had to be dealt with, and if he wasn't allowed to kill them himself, this was the next best thing. A thin smile crossed his lips; what Toph would call betrayal, he called practicality. No good could come from harboring Fire Nation fugitives, he'd already said that, and this very encounter proved him right.

"So what next?" he asked. Receiving no response, he looked over his shoulder.

He was alone in the alley.

**Elsewhere**

When it was obvious that Azula wasn't going to come after them, Ty Lee turned her attention to survival. Survival, and Sokka. The bleeding from his head wound had slowed and was no longer soaking her make-shift bandage, torn from the sopping material of her skirt. She'd wrung it out as best she could and had to hope for the heat of the sun to dry things out enough for the bandage to do any good.

He was still unconscious, though, her valiant Water Tribe captor-turned-patient, and since Azula's long-vanished ship and its medical bay were no longer an option, Ty Lee had to find someone to help them here on dry land. First things first, however; she stripped off her clothing and turned in inside out, revealing its Earth Kingdom colors, greens and light browns with a strip of bright pink around the hem. It clashed horribly but satisfied her need for girly colors even when undercover.

She spent some time finger-combing her hair, keeping a worried eye on Sokka. He was still out cold and that couldn't be good. She threw on her clothes after tying her hair back in a practical braid rather than the elaborate 'do she'd been wearing, then eyed the shoreline for a sheltered spot. She found a pile of rocks with something of an overhang and dragged Sokka over to it, grunting at the effort. Heavens he was heavy! But she managed; she'd always been stronger than she looked.

After settling Sokka to her satisfaction, she headed inland to scout out their surroundings. She hated leaving him alone; what if Azula changed her mind and came back, found him and killed him? But she couldn't think about that; there was nothing she could do to prevent her former friend from doing so if she so chose, so instead she focused on finding better shelter for the two of them against the coming night. It would be convenient if there were a village or even an isolated wood-cutter's hut nearby, but the thick overgrowth made it likely that their tiny little beach wasn't close enough to civilization to be of any use.

A few hours' search revealed that she was correct in her assessment, much as her optimistic nature had wanted her to be terribly wrong just this once. No signs of civilization except an overgrown path leading to a dirt road wending along the top of a ridge a mile or two distant. That was their best chance of finding someone to help them, but there was no way she could drag or carry Sokka that far and she was loathe to leave him alone a moment longer than she already had.

No one passed along either the path, which was probably made by some kind of pig-deer or other wildlife, nor did Ty Lee see anyone traveling along the road. However, she did see signs that people used it regularly; wheel tracks and footprints that would have been washed away in the last rain. And the last rain couldn't have been that long ago or the forest wouldn't be so lush and healthy and buggy and generally gross. The dirt wasn't bone dry and wasn't mushy and muddy, which was something.

Water. That was something else she had to find before returning to Sokka; fresh water for the two of them. She wasn't exactly skilled in making her way through the wilderness, but she could manage. Usually it was Mai who did all the water-finding and food-catching, but Ty Lee had done enough of it to make do in a pinch. "And brother, isn't this a pinch!" she said aloud as she looked for signs of a spring or river or pond. Just thinking about water made her even thirstier, and she wanted something to give to Sokka when she returned to the rocky shoreline where she'd stashed him.

Why, she wondered for the millionth time that day, had she sacrificed her future to save him, a Water Tribe chieftain on a crazy quest to save a hostage he'd already negotiated away in exchange for his peoples' safety? Because she was as crazy as he was, she decided as she walked downhill. "Aha!" she exclaimed triumphantly when she heard the distinctive sounds of running water. She pushed her way through the underbrush, abandoning the path she'd been following and ignoring the scratches she was adding to the collection on her bare arms.

She pushed past the last of the undergrowth to find herself in a secluded glen, trees and rock outcroppings on all sides and a lovely brook running through the middle. It disappeared into a particularly large pile of boulders, presumably to continue its course underground, but she didn't care where it came from or where it went, only that it was here. She ran up to it and dropped to her knees, scooping mouthfuls of the cool wetness up in her hands and swallowing them down. She washed her face and arms and ran some of the water over the top of her head to ease the itchiness the remnants of salt water was causing on her scalp…at least, she hoped it was from the dried salt water. She squirmed uneasily at the thought of the insect life that could be taking up residence in her hair from her endless tramping through the forest. Yuck.

And here she was, ready to start tramping around again to make her way back to Sokka. She found some tall blades of grass to braid into a crude cup, lined them broad leaves from a tree she hoped wasn't poisonous or buggy or anything else, filled it with water and carefully made her way back into the undergrowth. "It's a good thing I have a great sense of direction," she said aloud. After all, a girl could only spend so much time in total silence.

When she reached Sokka he was sitting up, still wedged into the outcropping to protect himself from the late afternoon rays of the sun. He drank from the leaf cup gratefully, then looked up at Ty Lee. "Why did you save me?" he asked without preamble, holding her gaze with his own as he set the cup carefully on his lap.

Ty Lee had settled on her knees in front of him, and her hands fluttered in a gesture of "I don't know" as she spoke. "I don't know," she admitted, dropping her hands back to her lap and lowering her gaze. "Because you're worth saving, I guess."

"Worth making an enemy of Princess Azula?" Sokka wasn't going to let her get away with evasive answers; she only wished she had clearer motivations to present to him. "Worth throwing your life away for? Why?" he asked again, leaning forward and raising her chin so she was forced to look at him again.

She looked at him for a long time, blue eyes meeting brown, neither one blinking or looking away, before answering. "Because I believe in love at first sight," she blurted out, then wrenched her chin out of his hand, sprang to her feet and ran off into the forest, tears flowing from her eyes. Damn him, why had he made her say that? And damn her for saying it, for feeling it.

For meaning it.

* * *

_A/N: I am slow. But this story WILL be finished. I have the next few chapters plotted out and have already started writing them. Promise. Thanks for sticking with me. _


	16. Casualties

**Ba Sing Se**

Katara paced uneasily in the front hall, hands fisted at her side one minute, wringing each other nervously the next. Kya had been gone for over an hour, Toph nearly as long, and Jet hadn't returned with any news about her brother or either of the others. Iroh and Zuko were still in the arena, Aang was still off sulking, and Lady Mishara was in her private sitting room.

She was furious with Kya, Katara could tell, and truthfully she couldn't blame the older woman. She'd taken the news of Kya's disappearance calmly enough, but her eyes had flashed with a fire Katara had been glad wasn't aimed her way. "I'm sure your friend had good reason for what she did," was all Mishara had said. "Thank you."

That last had been an obvious dismissal, and Katara had taken the hint, leaving the room immediately and closing the door behind her. She'd then spent an uneasy few minutes wandering the halls of the house before finally settling into pacing and fretting in the front hall.

When the front door slammed open, she was facing the end of the hall. Automatically adopting a fighting stance she whirled to face whoever had opened the massive wooden door with such force.

It was Kya. Staggering, she fell into Katara's arms. There was a sticky warmth on the other woman's back, and she clawed her way up Katara's arms, gazing at her beseechingly, her mouth opening and closing before she slumped in her friend's hold.

With shock Katara realized that the sticky warmth she'd felt was blood. The hilt of a dagger was protruding from Kya's back, and she wrenched at it unthinkingly, only to scream an agonized "NO!" when more blood gushed from the now open wound. She stanched it with her hands, crying out for Mishara and Aang.

Too late. Kya's eyes once again met those of Katara, and with the whispered word, "Jet…" she died in the other Water Bender's arms.

**oOo**

Outside the front doors, Jet skidded to a halt. What had Kya told Katara? He was about to confront the other woman when Mishara and Aang hurried to her side. He skulked by the edge of the door just long enough to hear Katara say his name, then slinked off. If Kya had fingered him as a traitor…well, he wasn't; he didn't consider turning the Fire Nation interlopers over to their countrywoman as "treachery". But if Kya had given away that he'd been talking to the assassin, awkward questions would be asked, accusations made and Kya's death would have been the waste of a good dagger.

He took off at a run, intending to disappear until all the insanity was over with, when he nearly ran down a familiar form.

Toph reached out with deceptive ease and yanked him back by the neck of his shirt. "Jet? What's going on?"

It wasn't a request, Toph never made polite requests, and she knew something was up even if he hadn't been running away from the house.

Thinking rapidly, he tried to jerk his shirt free from Toph's grasp. "Lemme go!" He gasped out, not needing to fake his frantic tones. "Someone stabbed Kya, a woman, she looked Fire Nation, I caught a glimpse of her…"

Toph had loosened her grip in surprise, and Jet wrenched himself free. "Better get to the house, sounds like we're under attack! As soon as I find the bitch I'll let you know." Then he slipped into the busy main street before Toph could object or attempt to stop him, counting on her momentary indecision to buy him enough time to blend into the crowds and evade any attempt she might make to stop him.

He had other priorities now, not just keeping free of the house; he had to find his comrades, his brother- and sister-in-arms, and warn them they'd been made. If that Fire Nation assassin knew who they were, others probably did, too, and he had to get them out of the castle, right now.

**oOo**

Toph skipped nimbly out the of the way as the front door slammed open and Aang barreled through. She tried to grab for him to find out how Kya was doing was doing, but he dodged her grasp and kept running. He was crying, she heard the sobs he was trying to control, and she had no idea where he thought he was going, but she gave up trying to stop him and instead turned back to the front door, still gaping open.

Toph stepped inside and stood as still as she could, listening with all her senses, hoping against hope that she'd misunderstood the reason for Aang's tears.

No such luck. Katara was sobbing, quiet, hopeless sobs that told Toph that Kya hadn't survived the attack on her. That, and the fact that she could only hear four sets of heartbeats, mostly fast and jittery, just like the breathing she could hear over the sounds of Katara's grief.

Iroh and Zuko were hovering to one side, and she could hear Mi-Mi murmuring soothing nonsense words as she tried to comfort the grieving Water Bender. "Hush, little one," she said in her calmest voice. "There's nothing we can do for her now, you have to let me move her out of the entranceway." Then, without looking up, she added: "Toph, close the door and show Zuko and Iroh where we can lay her out. The cool room in the cellar, I think, will do best."

Toph dropped to her knees by Katara's side and put her hand on the other girl's shoulder. "I'm sorry," she said simply.

With those two words Katara was finally able to release her hold on Kya's lifeless body. She sat there, accepting the comforting words and gestures Toph and Mishara tried to offer her, although she felt as frozen as Aang must have inside that iceberg, one hundred years of cold stiffening her limbs and numbing her mind. She watched through her tears as Iroh reverently crossed Kya's arms on her chest, then lifted her shoulders as Zuko grasped her legs, which he'd crossed at the ankles. She continued to watch as the two men carried her from the room, Toph rising to her feet to show them where to place her.

"I need a lot of water," Katara said after the others had left the room, startling Lady Mishara just a bit. But she didn't ask why, simply nodded and helped Katara to her feet.

They stopped in the kitchen and filled several large pitchers and bowls. Grim-faced, Katara carried down the first two pitchers, gently shaking her head when Mishara tried to help her. She made her way to the cool room, following the sounds of quiet voices that fell silent as she ducked through the low wooden doorway.

The small room lived up to its name; someone, one of the three, she didn't know nor did she care which one, had hastily removed the food that had been stored there. She placed the first of her burdens on the floor and politely but coldly asked the others to leave her to her task.

Iroh and Toph moved obediently for the stairs, but Zuko hesitated. "You're going to freeze her?" he asked.

Katara nodded. Even her hatred for the young Fire Nation prince was dulled beneath the burden of her grief. "I've brought the water down, I just have to get it in here."

"Let me." He turned and left before she could respond, and she decided it wasn't worth fighting about. Certainly not now. Instead, she turned her attention to the body, crooning the prayers for the dead that she'd spoken far too many times since the war between the Earth Kingdom and the Fire Nation had made its way to the southern polar regions. Kya was northern and probably had different rituals, but Katara could only perform the ones she knew, and prayed that the gods and Kya's spirit would understand.

**oOo**

After the rituals for the dead had been completed, after Kya's body had been washed and arranged and dressed in clean clothes, after she'd been fully encased in ice and urns of water carefully placed at the four corners of the cramped room, only then did Katara allow herself to think beyond the moment, to face once again the harsh realities of life. She closed the door carefully behind her and climbed the stairs to join the others in Lady Mishara's large kitchen.

Zuko was there, and Iroh and Lady Mishara but Toph was missing, along with Aang and Jet. "Who did this?" she demanded as she strode to the head of the table and plunked her fists down on it. "Why did she call out Jet's name before she died?"

"Toph said it was a Fire Nation assassin, that Jet told her that," Zuko replied after a moment. He met Katara's eyes steadily. "Probably my sister's favorite, Mai. And if she's here, then Ty Lee can't be far behind." He moved his gaze to meet that of Lady Mishara. "My lady, she's no doubt here to take myself and my uncle, and probably the Avatar, back to the Fire Nation, or kill us if she can't manage that."

"Oh, I'll manage that well enough."

She'd slipped into the house and into the dimly lit kitchen with no problem. Earth Kingdom mourning required low lighting in a house where someone had recently died, and Kya had certainly died recently enough for Mai to take the chance. And with the blind girl and her preternatural senses gone, it had been child's play to pick the locks on the front door and make her way here unheard and unseen.

Her knife was at Katara's throat before anyone, even the Dragon of the West, had time to move against her. She wrenched one of the other woman's arms behind her back and held it tightly, but Katara gave no more than a grunt of pain. Admirable.

Mai turned her attention to the two Fire Nation traitors she'd been sent to take care of. "Zuko," she said as calmly as if she were attending a tea party, "your presence is urgently required in the Fire Nation." She nudged Katara, forcing the girl backward as she made her way to the kitchen door. "Meet me at the coast or your little whore here dies, and your child with her." Almost as an afterthought, she added: "And tell the Avatar to turn himself in to Princess Azula as well if he cares for his friend."

He didn't ask her how she knew about the child, just gave a curt nod and continued to stand, frozen in place, until she and Katara had disappeared through the door.


	17. Hearts Can Break

**oOo**

"For the record, I'm no the one who killed your friend."

Katara, hands bound tightly behind her back, didn't immediately reply to the other woman's casual revelation. When she did finally speak, it was in quiet, measured tones. "Jet did. Because you made some kind of deal with him. He told you where we were."

The two women were walking through a tunnel; where it led, Katara had no idea. Mai held the torch in her one hand, her wickedly sharp blade in the other. After one escape attempt ended in failure and a severe cut to her arm as well as a nick to her throat, Katara had subsided into sullen obedience. If it were just herself, she'd take her chances, but as Mai seemed to enjoy pointing out, she had her child to think of.

"Oh, I already knew that," the assassin replied in the flat monotone that seemed to be her entire vocal range. "He just agreed not to get in my way, and I agreed not to kill him. But your friend was spying on us, and I was going to take care of her when Jet did it for me. In his defense," she added, still sounding as if she could care less, "he was more concerned with his other friends than he was with you or Zuko. His little spies in the palace," she clarified helpfully, accurately reading the confusion in Katara's face.

Jet had spies in the palace. Jet had killed Kya. Jet was so passionate about his cause that he'd allowed a Fire Nation assassin to enter Lady Mishara's house and take advantage of the grief and confusion to force Katara to come along with her.

She tamped down on her anger. Jet owed nothing to her, he'd done as she would have to protect her own family, but she couldn't find it in her heart to allow herself more than grudging understanding of why he'd done what he'd done.

She'd never forgive him for killing her friend.

"Where are you taking me?" she asked after several silent moments had passed.

"To the coast," was Mai's brief, unhelpful answer. She glanced sidelong at Katara then deigned to elaborate. "Zuko knows where. It's an old smugglers cove. Earth Nation ships aren't designed for it and we make sure no Earth Benders get near it. This tunnel empties out into a safe house." She gestured with the flames. "Spies will get us out of Ba Sing Se and my men are waiting outside the city."

"What about Ty Lee?" Katara asked, filing away every scrap of information she learned. Who knew when it might be useful. Her grief tried to get in the way of the practicalities she was forcing herself to face, but she tamped it down yet again. Perhaps, with practice and time, it would stay locked away, where she wouldn't ever have to deal with again.

Perhaps, but she doubted it.

Another sidelong glance from Mai. "This is war. Sometimes there are casualties, like your friend." Her voice caught, just the smallest bit, but Katara heard it and felt a flash of sympathy for the woman for the first time.

It vanished over the course of the following three days, as she was hustled from hiding place to hiding place and eventually rendered unconscious for the trip out of the city. Neither Mai nor her spies were taking any chances with their hostage.

They were met somewhere outside the city by a group of Fire Nation soldiers poorly disguised as Earth Nation peasants, at least to Katara's critical eyes. She remained bound at all times; her wrists ached and her stomach still writhed in the mornings with the burden of nausea created by the child growing within her, but she bore it all stoically.

When they reached the coast, she'd lost track of how many days it had been, and Mai wasn't talking. Nor, of course, were any of the six soldiers guarding her. Still, she had to try. "What if Zuko doesn't come?" she demanded after dinner one night. She could smell the ocean so their destination had to be nearby.

Mai seemed to ignore her question, then suddenly answered it, her face hidden in shadows and her voice in that infuriating monotone. "He'll come."

"How can you be sure?" Katara asked, stretching her legs slightly. The log she was sitting on was marginally more comfortable than the ground, but she debated lowering herself to the grass if only to give her back something to lean against. It ached something fierce, but she refused to mention it. Not that her captors would care, she thought bitterly.

Mai shrugged. "Because I know Zuko. He and his uncle will come trudging along any day now, dragging the Avatar along with them. All to save his baby from growing up in the Fire Nation court like we did."

That caught Katara's attention; she wondered if Mai were deliberately offering out the information, knowing that it couldn't do her prisoner any good. Or assuming it couldn't; Katara was a firm believer that any information was useful, even if you didn't realize it when you first received it. "You were raised in the court? How did you end up an assassin?"

As the silence stretched out, she wondered if she'd gone too far. Just when she assumed Mai was ignoring her, she spoke. "I wonder what you think life in Ozai's court is like," she said, her voice soft and deadly. "Just surviving it makes you an assassin. Or a diplomat. Or both." She let out a soft laugh with no humor in it. "How Zuko managed, I'll never understand."

"Because he's no assassin or diplomat?" Katara guessed.

"Exactly," Mai agreed. She leaned forward and stirred the fire with a stick. For a second her face was clear, and Katara was startled by the note of sorrow in the other woman's eyes. "But he's a Fire Bender and for a long time he was Ozai's heir. Now his sister has that honor and he's managed to get himself into more and more trouble with his father." She settled back, once again masking her face in darkness. "It's a good thing we broke up or I'd be in just as much trouble." Another chuckle, this one cold enough to send shivers down Katara's spine. "Not the same kind of trouble you're in, of course, since I'd never be foolish enough to let myself get pregnant, but trouble enough." She sighed theatrically. "He always could get me to do whatever he wanted, before he broke up with me." She raised her voice. "Couldn't you?"

Zuko stepped into the circle of firelight. Well. That explained why Mai had suddenly become so chatty. He ignored her question, studying Katara, frowning at the sight of her bound and bloody wrists. "Is that truly necessary?"

Mai shrugged. "I think so, obviously you don't. You're here," she added unnecessarily. "Where are the others?"

"There aren't any others," Zuko replied, his voice as emotionless as hers. "My loving sister will have to be satisfied with me."

Mai raised one eyebrow. "Your uncle let you go off on your own to rescue the maiden fair?" A small, cynical smile curved her lips. "Oops. Sorry. She's not a maiden any more."

Zuko's face darkened. "You have me, Mai. The Avatar never came back, but I told Lady Mishara to send him along if he was willing. Obviously he wasn't or he'd be here by now. As for my uncle," he looked guiltily at Katara. "I told him he'd slow me down too much. Azula doesn't want him, anyway." He returned his attention to Mai. "So stop jerking around and let Katara go."

"Oh, no, that's not part of the deal," Mai replied, rising to her feet and gesturing curtly for one of her men. He stepped to her side, sword gleaming in the firelight. "I can't go back to Azula with just you to show for my efforts, especially since she's particularly pissed off at this one's brother at the moment." She jerked her thumb at Katara, who started at the other woman's words. She would have demanded more information but one of the other men had stepped behind her and forced her to her feet, one hand under her elbow, the other holding a dagger to her throat. A pose she was getting heartily sick of.

"What did Sokka do to piss her off?" Zuko asked, but there was tension in his voice and face now, and he very carefully kept his hands out in the open, away from the swords strapped to his back and fists clenched to show he wasn't about to let loose with a fire attack.

"He tried to negotiate for his sister's life by holding Ty Lee captive." Her voice cracked at the end of the sentence, but she showed no other signs of emotion as she added: "My men tell me she sank the entire fleet of ships and killed everyone on board. No one knows what happened to Ty Lee, but no one's seen her since."

Silence fell over the clearing as Katara and Zuko absorbed Mai's words, each in their own way. When Zuko chanced a look at the Water Bender, he saw silent tears making their way down her cheeks. She was biting her lips to keep the sobs from escaping, but he knew how difficult this must have been for her to hear. Anger flared at Mai for revealing Sokka's death so brutally, but he thought he understood. She blamed the Water Tribe chieftain for whatever had happened to Ty Lee, as well she should. What had possessed the idiot to challenge Azula?

He wasn't aware he'd voiced the question aloud until Mai answered him. "Who knows? All I do know, Zuko, is that we have a date with your sister that she's anxious for us to keep." She nodded and one of the other men ran off into the darkness. "We'll just signal our ship and get out to sea to meet her, shall we?" She gestured, and the soldier by her side sheathed his sword and reached for a length of chain attached to his belt. Katara saw the manacles dangling from the ends of the chain and understood what was happening at the same time as Zuko.

"I've given my word to surrender myself," he said bitterly as he held his wrists out for the soldier to clamp the manacles around. "Isn't that good enough for you, Mai? It used to be," he added in a low voice.

She looked at him sharply. "A lot of things used to be 'good enough' for me," she replied, sounding bitter. "Now, I find peace in just doing what I'm told. And Azula told me to take no chances with you." The manacles closed with a "click" and Katara looked away. She told herself it was no more than he deserved, but was finding it hard to convince herself. He'd willingly surrendered himself to save her, and that wasn't something easily overlooked. Of course, she reminded herself, it was only because of the baby, but still. She found herself grateful nonetheless.

Tears continued to stream down her cheeks as she tried to take in the fact of her brother's death. How could this have happened, how could she have lost her best friend and her brother on the same night? It wasn't fair, but Mai wasn't going to give her time to herself to grieve over either loss. The soldier pushed her into the darkness, Zuko following behind with his own escort as Mai doused the fire with a pitcher of water. They were marched through the trees to a small cove, lit by a bonfire. The rest of the soldiers were standing nearby, watching the sea, and one of them called out when Mai joined them: "They're on their way, my lady."

"Good." She walked past Zuko and Katara, pointedly ignoring them.

**oOo**

When the small boat arrived to escort them to the ship, Katara considered diving over the side and taking her chances in the dark ocean. She was an excellent swimmer, could hold her breath for a long time, and owed it to her baby to try and keep it safe. If the Fire Lord's court could produce monsters like Azula and Mai and twist someone like Zuko into the type of man who could rape a helpless prisoner, then what chance would her child have? If it was even allowed to grow up at all…

Unfortunately, the man with the knife at her throat never let down his guard, no matter how much the little dinghy swayed and dipped, never released his firm hold on her waist, never gave her the opening she sought. She resigned herself to yet another bout of captivity when the hull of a larger ship loomed out of the darkness. A ladder was lowered, but she was hoisted over the soldier's shoulder and carried up that way. Zuko, she noted with chagrin, was allowed to make his own way up the swaying rope ladder.

They were separated as soon as they were on board, Katara hustled off in one direction and Zuko in another. She tried to assure him she was fine, only to be rewarded for her attempt with a backhand from Mai. "Put her in the brig," she snarled, turning to face Zuko with a gloating smile on her face. Katara, still reeling from the blow, shivered; she preferred the assassin cold and unemotional. "The prince has some questions to answer." She toyed with one of the long, slim blades at her hip as she spoke, and Katara shivered again, unable to tear her eyes away as Zuko was forced to the other end of the ship.

The soldier escorting her was joined by a sailor, who stepped nimbly down a wooden staircase that led to the hold of the ship. He reached for Katara, steadying her as she made her cautious way down that same staircase, her guard close behind. At least the knife was no longer at her throat, which was now marred by a myriad of small pricks from the trip in the dinghy.

When she saw her new quarters, however, she balked, only to be shoved unceremoniously into the tiny cell. It was solid metal on three sides, with a tiny porthole far above head height and a metal grated door in the front, affording no privacy. A single bench was fastened to one wall with a thin pallet and blanket on it; a bucket beneath the bed was presumably the toilet she was to use. Her nose wrinkled with disgust at the musty, unused smell of the place but she supposed it could have been worse. Zuko had spoiled her, keeping her captive in his own cabin instead of subjecting her to his ship's brig, but then, she was a valuable hostage then and simply a common prisoner now. Well, she conceded, still valuable in some ways.

She slowly made her way over to the bunk and sat down. The guard had cut away her bonds and her wrists were aching and bloody, but at least now her hands were free. Free to do what, she couldn't begin to guess, but free was free and she'd take it.

Without warning a sob burst from her throat, then tears flooded her eyes and she was crying desperate, throat-tearing sobs, head in hands, body hunched, as the magnitude of her situation hit her. Kya was dead, Sokka was dead, she was a Fire Nation prisoner once again, and the only person who wanted her free was also a prisoner. No, that wasn't entirely true, Aang wanted her free as well, and the only reason he wasn't here was because he had some kind of plan. That had to be it; she clung to that hope with every fiber of her being even as she allowed herself to be swept away by her grief.

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_A/N: I know, I know, I'm on a roll! Whoo hoo! Poor Katara and Zuko, what will happen to them next? Here's a hint: Mai's quest for information is going to involve some pain for our favorite Fire Bender, which will lead to some sympathy from our favorite Water Bender. I've been trying to indicate that she's softening toward Zuko as she grows to understand him better, but I'm trying not to move it along too quickly. Pacing is always a challenge. Please R&R as always._


	18. Healing Hands

Fortunately for Zuko, Mai didn't have as much time to work on him as she would have liked; Azula's ship met up with theirs after only a couple of days, and she was the type to want to take over any interrogation.

Unfortunately for Zuko, his sister was more than happy to take up where Mai and her blades had left off.

Katara was hustled from one vessel to the other without ever setting eyes on the prince, without even knowing if he'd been brought aboard Azula's warship or not. She was ensconced in a cabin similar to the one she'd previously occupied, allowed to bathe ("can't have you stinking up the ship," had been Azula's sneering comment), fed, given clean clothes, and left alone for the rest of that day and night.

It was the next morning when Zuko was dragged into the room, tossed on the floor like so much rubbish, and left with her.

She rushed to his side, horrified at the condition he was in. His clothing was ragged, torn in some places, burned in others; his feet were bare and bore scorch marks on the soles, he was bleeding…she didn't know where to look first, what parts to try and clean up and what parts to leave alone for fear of injuring him further. She had a basin of water and a pile of neatly folded cloths, one of which she dampened and used to dab at the cuts on his face.

He stirred at her gentle touch. "Thirsty," he said in a raspy voice, and she dipped the dry corner of the cloth into the basin and squeezed the water into his mouth a few drops at a time.

"What did they want to know?" Katara asked, lowering her voice instinctively. Zuko struggled to raise himself from the floor and she did her best to help him, wincing sympathetically when he hissed with pain. He felt hot, as hot as he had when his anger at her had overcome him back on his own ship.

She pushed that memory out of her mind, focusing on the here and now. It all seemed so long ago, so far away, almost as if it happened to two different people…certainly the human wreckage half-lying on her lap bore little resemble to the desperate, arrogant prince he'd been. "What did they want to know?" she asked again as he managed to raise himself to a sitting position.

"Nothing," Zuko replied. "My damned sister and my damned ex asked me nothing. Not one damned thing." Then he slumped over and Katara barely kept his head from hitting the floor as he passed out.

There was no way she'd ever manage to get him up on the bunk; instead, she lowered him gently to the floor and stood up. Two quick steps and she was at the bunk, pulling the blankets and sheets off, piling them next to Zuko, then adding the single pillow she'd been allotted. She would be fine on the bare mattress, but Zuko couldn't just be left on the hard metal floor.

She knelt by his side, folding the blankets over and laying sheets on top of the low pile. She hesitated, biting her lip as she considered how best to move him. If she simply rolled him over, she'd start some of the cuts bleeding again.

She shuddered as she contemplated his unconscious form. How could someone do this to their own brother? How could anyone hurt someone they'd once loved like this? She couldn't even imagine being angry enough at Sokka to punch him, let alone cut him up and burn him and…she peered closer at his back, then recoiled in disgust and pity. Those were _whip_ marks…Even in her most hate-filled fantasies when she'd been his prisoner, she couldn't have begun to imagine doing anything like this to him.

She shuddered and reached for his shoulders, carefully placing her fingers to avoid the worst of the injuries there. He didn't seem to have any broken bones, thank La for that much.

Spirits, he was so heavy. But she managed, somehow, without once jolting him back to consciousness. Soon he lay sprawled inelegantly across the makeshift pallet, the pillow under his cheek, head facing the bunk, arms and legs outstretched. She carefully peeled the frayed and tattered remains of his shirt from his body, wincing every time she scraped the edge of a wound, but he lay as still as death beneath her probing fingers.

She bit her lip again, glancing uncertainly from the bucket of water to the locked door. Suppose someone was spying on her, watching her? Did she dare use any of the water healing Kya had taught her? Would they notice if some of his wounds healed quicker than others?

If she were exposed as a Water Bender, Kya had warned her on more than one occasion, Azula would be merciless in her fury at being tricked. And her father wouldn't hesitate to kill her. None of the Water Benders under his power lived for long. Kya had only survived because it suited Azula's needs.

And now she, too, was dead. Katara pushed back the surge of grief with a struggle that was as painful as any she'd ever physically performed. Zuko was in such bad shape he might die, and her child would never know its father. A father who actually seemed to _want_ to know his child, and one she was beginning to believe would love that child as well, much as she would have scoffed at such a notion a month ago.

Mouth firming, she dipped her hand into the bucket of water and pulled it out, gloved in the soothing coolness, and began running it along Zuko's back. He was wounded there the worst, and the least she owed him for coming after her, for surrendering himself to ensure her safety, was to help him recover from the savage torture he'd been forced to endure.

She wondered about that as well. They hadn't even asked him anything, when Mai said specifically that "the prince has some questions to answer." Why?

Another shudder passed over her frame as she contemplated the life her child would face if allowed to live and be raised in the palace of the Fire Lord. She swore a private vow, that if that were the only option, then she would kill them both, herself and her unborn baby, before allowing that to happen.

**oOo**

Sometime during the small hours of the night, Katara awoke to the sound of moans coming from somewhere in the darkness. For one disorienting moment she forgot where she was, wondered who was in such dire pain, then it all came back to her. "Zuko?" she asked as she slid off the bed and made her way to his side.

He was still unconscious, and she hissed with pain when she placed cautious fingers on his forehead, snatching them back and sucking on them. He was literally burning up; this must be the Fire Bender equivalent of a fever. Unfortunately there wasn't much her limited healing skills could do to bring his temperature down, short of dousing him in water and risking the onset of chills.

Instead, she dipped a cloth into the bucket, wrung it out, and placed it on his forehead. He sighed at her touch and mumbled something she couldn't quite make out. Lowering her head closer to his in order to hear him, she started when she heard her own name. "Katara," Zuko moaned. "…sorry…so sorry…"

"It's all right," she soothed, dipping the cloth back into the water and once again applying it to his forehead. "Don't worry about me, I'm fine."

"…shouldn't have done that…animal like my father…never meant to…"

She realized he was talking about what he'd done to her on his ship, and wondered at the mind's wanderings while wracked with fever. Whatever made him go back to that horrible time, a time he regretted almost as much as she did, if his uncle was to be believed? If he, himself, were to be believed? Still, at least he was speaking words of regret even while unaware of what he was saying; that meant he hadn't been lying to her.

She hadn't believed his apology, not fully, too angry and resentful to be willing to take him at his word. But unless he was the greatest actor ever, then his feverish muttering proved he had meant every word.

Well. That was something. She carefully tucked her newfound understanding into a corner of heart, to take out at her leisure and consider when she wasn't kneeling by a sick bed.

"Zuko, you are so lucky I'm not the type to harbor a grudge or you'd be dead by now," she muttered as she once again dipped the cloth into the water. Water that was rapidly warming up; she'd begun learning how to control her Water Bending to the point that she could lower the temperature; surely some ice would do him more good than just water?

She smiled triumphantly as the soaking wet cloth suddenly stiffened in her hand, frozen solid. She placed it on Zuko's forehead, then dampened a few others and placed them carefully at wrists and ankles, freezing them the same way. That should help. Then she gloved her hands in water and once again passed them over his back. Several hours had passed since he'd been thrown in with her, and it would do him good to have another round of healing applied.

She sat with him the remainder of the night, sighing with relief when his fever finally broke just before dawn. She removed the cloths, which she'd periodically re-frozen as they thawed, piling them next to the half-empty water bucket, laid a single sheet over Zuko's waist and legs, and dragged herself wearily back to her bunk. She fell asleep as soon as her eyes closed, and stayed that way well into the morning.

When she awoke, Zuko was gone.

* * *

_A/N: Honestly, is it truly a hurt/comfort story if no one gets hurt once in a while? Please let me know what you think as reviews are always humbly accepted._


	19. Katara's Choice

_A/N: For a while we're going to be seeing things only from a Zutara perspective. Yes, I'm leaving us in the dark as to how Sokka and Ty Lee are doing, if Toph ever caught up with Aang, if Jet ever got found out, how the Ba Sing Se rebels and rebellion are doing…but I will return to them. Just not for a while._

_

* * *

_**Warning: Severe mental waffling in this chapter.**_  
_

**oOo**

Katara sat up and immediately wished she hadn't. Why was her head spinning, what was that sickly-sweet smell lingering in the air? She groaned softly to herself, then leaned back against the wall, eyes closed, until she felt the wave of dizziness pass.

When she felt capable of it, she opened her eyes and stared at the empty room, not quite sure she was seeing what she was seeing…or rather, what she _wasn't_ seeing. Or _who_ she wasn't seeing… "Zuko?" she said tentatively, as if he'd come strolling out of the room's built-in wardrobe in answer to her call. Or as if he were curled up under her bunk, which hung from the walls by a pair of sturdy metal brackets. Or as if he were…

_Stop it, Katara,_ she ordered herself, trying to cut through the mental fog. She didn't normally wake up so fuzzily; coupled with the lingering aroma, she assumed she'd been drugged. And Zuko? She looked around one last time, to confirm what her eyes had already told her. _He's not here. Obviously someone came and took him._

Obviously that someone was Azula. Or at least some of her guards. But why? Why drag him in here and leave him with Katara just to take him away again in the morning? Unless…panic fluttered in her mind and body, chasing away rationality, squeezing her throat tightly shut, clenching her abdomen in painful spasms. _Unless_, she forced herself to face the unthinkable, _they put him in here to see if you would heal him, to see if you're a Water Bender._

If that were the case, then there was nothing to be done; she'd already given herself away. And if she'd already given herself away, then there was no reason not to lash out at the first person who opened her door, no reason not to attack, to try and fight her way free, to throw herself and Zuko's unborn child into the welcoming embrace of Mother Ocean, and…and…Wait. Did she just refer to her baby as _Zuko's_ unborn child?

Her mind spinning, Katara leaned back against the cold steel wall of her prison and forced herself to regard the room, if only to give herself something to think about besides what she'd just been thinking about. Everything else was exactly as she'd left it before falling back to sleep, after helping Zuko as best she could under the limited circumstances allowed her. A pile of blankets, in some disarray but for the most part folded neatly. Her pillow, with an indentation in the middle of it. A pile of drying cloths next to a half-empty bucket of water.

A locked door. And no Prince Zuko. Nothing left of him but some blood-stains on the blankets and floors and the pinkish hue of the water in the bucket.

She slid off the edge of the bed and crawled over to the pallet she'd made up for Zuko the night before, not trusting her legs to carry her just yet. Whatever gas they'd pumped into the room was dissipating but there was enough of it in the air to keep her woozy and off-balance.

When she reached the pallet she carefully sat on one edge and regarded the stains on the floor. Without consciously willing it, her hand reached out, dunked one of the cloths in the water, then she was leaning forward to scrub at the dark stains, scrubbing and wringing and dunking and scrubbing yet again.

When she'd cleared up as much as she could she wrung out the remaining water into the bucket and shoved it toward her bed with one foot. She was feeling more aware now, less wobbly, and risked rising to her feet to continue shoving the bucket until it was half-hidden under her bed. Then she sat back down to consider her options.

She was going to need every weapon in her admittedly limited arsenal to find a way to free herself from this situation; even if Aang was coming to rescue her (and part of her prayed he wasn't as fervently as the rest of her prayed he was), she still needed to do as much to help herself as she could. Besides, she was tired of meekly following where she was led. Yes, her baby would die if she died, but she'd already vowed to spare it any kind of life under the heel of the Fire Lord; what difference would it make if they were both dead now? At least they'd be with Sokka, with her mother and father and Kya…

She shook her head of such maudlin thoughts. "We're not dead yet, little one," she said softly, stroking her abdomen. Yes, the bulge was becoming noticeable, but only to her touch. She permitted herself a sad smile as she pictured the bulge becoming larger, then the birth of her child. What a life she would have given it back home.

A life that wasn't to be, would never be, if only because of the truth of the child's parentage. Even the sister of a Water Tribe Chief would hardly be considered any kind of a match for the son of the Fire Lord, disgraced or not.

Zuko. It always came back to Zuko. She found herself wondering about his scar, not for the first time, but for the first time she allowed herself to really consider it. How had he obtained it? Obviously it was inflicted by fire, and by inference a Fire Bender; was it punishment of some kind, or simply a mark to indicate he was a prince? It was weirder than a tattoo but not as weird as some of the mutilations Water Tribe custom had dictated in the centuries before her grandmother's grandmother's grandmother had lived, if tribal legend was to be believed: people had used needles and colored ink to draw designs on their skin that lasted a lifetime, people had drilled holes into their own noses and ears and skewered themselves with tiny ivory spears…Ritual scarring wouldn't be much different, but she suspected she was far off the trail with that thought. If it was something he was proud of, a token of his status, then it would be something others spoke of.

No one, not once, had ever mentioned Zuko's scar, and if it was taboo to speak of it then it probably wasn't something he was proud to bear.

Before she could start on the next line of speculation—who had done it to him and why—the door opened and a soldier stepped into the room. Katara automatically rose to her feet, surreptitiously readying herself for combat. But he merely stepped to one side to allow Azula to enter, and Katara felt her hopes plummet. There was no way she could take on the Fire Nation princess, not and live to make it more than a few steps past the doorway. "Where's Zuko?" she asked instead, surprising herself.

Azula's lips curved in a satisfied smile, as if she expected the question to be the first thing Katara asked. "Above decks," she replied after a moment. Her smile deepened into a smirk. "I was wondering what I'd find when I came for him this morning; imagine my surprise when I discovered that the woman he'd raped and impregnated had actually cared for him." Her eyes drifted to the make-shift pallet on the floor, to the half-empty bucket of bloody water, to the pile of equally bloody cloths piled next to them. "If I'd been the betting type, I have to admit I'd have lost this one. I fully expected to find him dead, either from his wounds, or at your hands. You've surprised me."

Katara didn't bother to suppress the shiver that went over her frame at Azula's words. She'd tortured her own brother for no particular reason—at least, not to abstract any information from him—then thrown him in with Katara for the express purpose of seeing what the Water Tribe girl would do to him. And if she'd killed him? What then? What kind of people had Zuko been raised by, been raised _with_?

She asked that question aloud, only to be met by Azula's contemptuous laughter. "By the Fire Lord, of course, in his court, with his loving sister at his side." Her voice turned mocking as she placed a theatrical hand over her heart. Or over the place where her heart would be, if she actually had one. "Our father trained us, the Fire Sages crammed our superiority into our hearts and minds, and we had nannies to do our bidding after our mother was exiled, killed, whatever happened to her."

That hurt like a solid kick to the stomach; to hear her dismissing her mother's fate so cavalierly struck more fear into Katara's heart than anything she'd heard or witnessed up to this moment. "So where is he now?" she asked in a near-whisper. "What did you do to him?" Had Azula finished the job she'd expected Katara to do for her?

"Why _didn't_ you kill my precious brother anyway?" Azula snapped her fingers, and a second guard entered the room. "Tie her up," she ordered, a little curl of smoke seeping lazily between the clenched fingers of her right hand, her eyes never leaving those of Katara as she continued as if she hadn't interrupted herself. "Why not kill him? Or at least take a little souvenir."

Her smirk made it abundantly clear what she was talking about, but before Katara could snap out a response, Azula dropped her eyes to the Water Tribe girl's abdomen. "Oh, yes, I forgot. You already have a little souvenir, don't you."

"And you people call us barbarians," Katara muttered before she could stop herself.

Azula took a step forward, eyes smoldering with rage before visibly taking hold of herself. "Oh, please, like your tribeswomen haven't tortured their share of Fire Nation prisoners. Not that they didn't deserve their fates; any ship that was weak enough to be overtaken by your lot was a ship full of men who were useless to my father and I."

"I don't know what you're talking about," Katara said, but she was lying. She knew very well what Azula was talking about, although her own tribe had never participated in any such rituals. If she were being truthful with herself, it was because they'd never been in any position to do so. But she'd heard stories…

Azula stood and watched while one guard bound Katara's hands, the other holding his knife at her prisoner's throat. It would have been almost funny; were they that worried about her attacking them? Azula hadn't seemed to need this much protection around Katara before…

She went very cold and still inside. No, she hadn't. Although Katara tried to tell herself it was because she'd managed to escape, part of her knew that wasn't it. There was no Kya on board to help her this time. Her eyes flew up to meet Azula's, and the princess' smirk widened. "Come with us," she said, cocking a finger at Katara as the guard tightened the final knot.

The second guard shoved her forward. Hands bound in front of her, Katara had no choice but to obey.

Inwardly, she was cursing herself for seven kinds of a fool. She should have attacked as soon as the door to her cabin opened, she should have tried to escape or died in the attempt…Those thoughts vanished as they climbed a steep set of stairs and came out onto the main deck of the warship. Zuko was there, hanging by his wrists from a long piece of wood, dangling over the ocean. He wore a stoic expression, but Katara winced in sympathy for the pain he must be feeling, not only from his old wounds but also from heavy metal manacles digging into his wrists, from the strain on his shoulders and back.

His eyes widened as he saw her, then swiveled to meet those of his sister. Her smirk had shrunk but never fully vanished, and she sauntered over to stand by the railing next to him, gesturing for Katara to be brought forward as well.

The guard grasped her roughly by the arm and forced her to stand next to Azula. Lips white with strain, Zuko spoke. "Why is she here? She doesn't care if you kill me or not."

Azula leaned onto the railing with both elbows in an exaggeratedly casual pose, resting her chin on her interlocked fingers. "Ah, but you care if she sees me do it, don't you, Zuko?" She drew out the syllables of his name in a mocking drawl. "Why is that? She's just some water tribe peasant you raped—and good job, by the way, I'd never have thought you had the balls to act like a soldier on a rampage—and knocked up by accident. It's not like some little half-breed bastard could ever sit on the throne, anyway. So why do you care?"

"Because, unlike some, I actually want what's best for my own flesh and blood," Zuko responded through gritted teeth. The strain was really showing now; sweat poured down his face and shoulders, dripped from his chin and arms. He wore only the pair of stained and riddled cotton drawers he'd been wearing the night before, and many of his wounds had reopened. "And no matter how it happened, the baby is mine." He raised his voice. "I claim it now, in front of witnesses. The child Katara of the Southern Water Tribes bears is mine."

That caused a murmur of surprise to ripple through the assembled spectators, sailors and soldiers, ships officers and even a few men and women in the Fire Nation version of civilian clothing. Katara gathered from their reaction that this was a Very Big Deal, and glanced involuntarily at Azula to see how the princess would react.

She reacted in a way Katara could never have guessed; she threw back her head and laughed. "Oh, well played, Zuko. Well played." She turned her attention to Katara. "In spite of what you and many others might think, I actually do play by the rules sometimes. And one of the rules Zuko just invoked by claiming your brat publicly and in front of so may witnesses was the one that puts you under the protection of the royal house, and continues that protection for your child until it's grown enough to fend for itself." She raised her hands and gave three slow, sardonic claps, once again turning her attention to her brother. "Well played."

"Send her back to her cabin," Zuko said in his haughtiest voice. It only broke a little on the last word, and he clenched his teeth tightly together..

"Oh, no, we have a few things to work out first," Azula replied. This time, when her eyes rested on Katara, the Water Tribe girl had to do her best to repress a shiver. Azula's golden-brown eyes were as flat and cold as an ice floe at sunset. "First, your little 'friend' here has to come clean."

_She knew._ Katara felt the shock of Azula's knowledge as a trickle of ice down her spine, a surge of nausea in her stomach.

Her next words only confirmed it…and Katara was faced with a choice she never expected she'd have to make. "So, little _Water Bender_," Azula said in her softest, deadliest voice. "What'll it be, hmm? Will you let my brother die after working so hard to heal him last night? Will you let your child grow up fatherless, defenseless, in my father's court?" She laughed as Katara's eyes widened. "You heard me. You think I'd let you get away from me a second time? You won't find any allies this time, girl." She jerked her head at her brother. "Even him. And killing yourself isn't an option, either; I'll make damned sure you live to birth your brat, then raise it myself if I'm in the mood. How does that sound?"

Katara made a low, growling sound in the back of her voice. "Never," she snarled, snatching her arm free of the soldier's grip and hurling herself over the side of the ship.

Before she even cleared the railing she was jerked back. A blast of fire streamed past her eyes and she jerked her head back reflexively. Once again Azula's laughter rang out. "Ah-ah-ah," she said, waggling an admonishing finger in front of Katara's face. "I told you, you don't get to die." She leaned closer. "Not unless I want you to," she said in a low voice, eyes sparkling with malice.

She raised one arm and waved it toward her brother's dangling form. "You do, however, get to decide whether Zuko lives or dies." She snapped her fingers and the wooden beam lurched downward. Zuko's body swung wildly, smacking into the side of the ship and eliciting a cry of pain from him before he clamped his lips tightly shut. His eyes met those of Katara, and she watched in an agony of indecision as he shook his head, once. Telling her no—no what? She wondered.

She wasn't left in confusion for long. "My dear brother will be lowered into the ocean and allowed to drown. Unless," she added, her gaze burning into Katara's, "there happens to be a Water Bender handy who can save him."

Save him, and condemn herself. Azula must only suspect, by virtue of the half-healed burns and cuts and lashes on Zuko's back. Unless she had witnessed Katara performing the healing, all she _could_ do was suspect, but for Azula suspicion was probably the same as knowing. She wasn't doing this because she thought Katara might not be a Water Bender, but because she _knew_ she was. It was just another form of torture, more subtle than the pain she'd inflicted on her brother, but no less painful.

Where once Katara would have believed herself capable of carrying Zuko's death on her soul, now she knew better. "Please don't do this," she whispered.

As expected, Azula ignored her. "Lower him into the ocean and release the manacles from the boom," she shouted

Katara fidgeted and bit her lip and felt her already racing heart double its rate, threatening to thrum its way out of her chest. She felt a trickle of sweat run down the side of her face, and realized dimly that the guard had released his hold on her arm, that he and Azula had stepped away from her but stood ready if she showed signs of trying to throw herself over the railing again…or if she attempted to attack.

Zuko had shaken his head "no." He knew what his sister was forcing Katara to do; reveal herself as a Water Bender in front of a slew of Fire Nation witnesses. Katara could be punished just for having that ability, even if Zuko had done his best to protect her by claiming her child as his own.

But she couldn't just let Zuko die. It wasn't in her to stand idly by and do nothing, no matter the consequences to herself. _Besides_, she consoled herself as she leaned forward to peer down at Zuko as his feet dangled just above the tops of the waves, _I was ready to die anyway._ _Better to die for something than for nothing._

Gritting her teeth, she waited until the manacles were released and Zuko splashed into the ocean. Then she raised her still-bound hands and took a Bending stance.


	20. Turning Point

**oOo**

Zuko wasn't sure how long he could hold his breath, but hoped it would be long enough as he plunged downward toward the roiling surface of the sea. As the cold water covered his head he kicked his legs, desperately trying to keep from drowning, aiming as best he could for the surface.

Suddenly he felt something touch the soles of his feet, something cold and solid. Panic clouded his mind for a moment as he imagined the gaping mouth of some fearsome sea creature attracted by his thrashing movements, but then he felt whatever it was actively pushing him toward the surface of the water and realized as his head emerged from the icy depths what it was: a solid sheet of ice.

He looked up toward the distant deck of his sister's warship and saw her staring back at him with a wide grin on her face. She made a gesture as the ice-tray bobbed to the surface, bringing him with it. He slipped and fell on his backside, which caused his sister's grin to widen, then she disappeared from view while Zuko struggled to right himself on the slippery surface. He flamed the bindings from his wrists once he'd achieved a sitting position, careful to keep the heat as far from the ice as he could. It seemed to be melting beneath him, although not nearly as rapidly as it had formed, thank Agni. No, strike that. Thank _Katara_. She'd rescued him, it had to be her unless his sister had yet another hidden Water Bender on her ship.

The only question was, why?

He set the question aside and waited stoically as a rope ladder was dropped over the side of the ship, then paddled the awkward block of ice close enough to grasp it. As his feet scrambled for purchase on the side of the ship, the ice block skidded away. He managed to pull himself onto the ladder and turned his head to watch as it headed out into the ocean, then looked upward as he felt the ladder jerk in his grasp.

Apparently Azula had ordered some of her sailors to bring him up, and he tightened his grip as the ladder moved upward. Once his head cleared the railing he vaulted himself up and over, wincing inwardly as the injuries to his back and arms protested the movement. Still, he had to make the effort, to remind the watchers they were gazing on a member of the royal family and not just some petty criminal. Never mind that he was still a prisoner, still disgraced and being brought back home most likely to face his death; he refused to bow down to the inevitable.

Fortunately for his pride, he stuck the landing and remained standing, glaring at the onlookers. His glare changed to a neutral expression, however, when his eyes met Katara's. He nodded slightly, to acknowledge her assistance, knowing what it cost her to save his life but unable to properly thank her under his sister's mocking gaze.

"Take them to the cabin I've prepared," was all Azula said, and Zuko allowed his wrists to be bound behind his back, with proper metal shackles this time, refusing to struggle and force himself to be overcome; now was not the time, now was not the place. Katara was pulled along by the arm by one of Azula's brutish personal guards, and Zuko spared a moment to glare angrily at the man before schooling his face into impassivity.

Not surprisingly, Azula fell into step next to him. "So, she saved your life," she said conversationally, keeping her voice pitched low so only the two of them could hear her. "I honestly didn't know if she'd make the effort or not. You should be sure to thank her when you're alone." She smirked. "_Properly_."

Her emphasis on the word made it clear exactly what she meant. Zuko ground his teeth together but otherwise ignored her provocation, choosing instead to study Katara, who was walking in front of them. She was giving her guard no resistance, but the man held her arm as tightly as if he expected her to wrench herself free at any moment.

"You're scowling, brother dear!" Azula said in a sing-song voice. "What's the matter, no one's allowed to abuse your little girlfriend but you?"

For a moment Zuko saw red, but managed to tamp down on his anger before he did something stupid. He knew Azula could tell she'd scored a hit, but refused to look at her again, knowing he'd see an even wider smirk on her lips.

"No matter," Azula went on after a moment, keeping her voice pitched low, intimate, for his ears only. If she was disappointed by his lack of reaction, she didn't show it. "I've already sent word to our dear father, explaining the situation. He seems pleased, especially by my description of Katara. I told him," she added, with a sly look, "how beautiful she was. His response was that he's never bedded a Water Bender before. Apparently he's looking forward to it."

That won the reaction her earlier taunting hadn't; Zuko stopped dead in his tracks, head swiveled toward her, expression half-incredulous, half-infuriated. "You bitch!" he snarled, lunging at her, fighting against his restraints and the guards that instantly appeared to hold him back.

Katara, who was far enough ahead of them that it was unlikely she would have heard Azula's hateful words, turned her head to stare over her shoulder. The guard escorting her came to a stop and turned as well, never releasing his hold on her arm. When he saw that the other soldiers seemed to have things under control—and that the Princess appeared more amused than threatened—he faced forwards and started walking again, jerking Katara's arm and forcing her move with him.

Zuko managed to tamp down on his rising fury, although it was one of the most difficult things he'd ever done. Even if he somehow broke free of his shackles, he and Katara were so far outnumbered on his sister's ship that they'd be prisoners again within minutes. With a murderous glance at his sister, Zuko allowed himself to be dragged away.

Azula stood and watched as the two prisoners were forced to move down the narrow walkway to the cabin she'd had specially prepared for them. Zuko had run true to form; all it took was a little taunting, a hint of a threat, and he completely lost control. He was pitiably easy to manipulate.

She'd miss that when he was dead; it was almost a shame that their father would probably have him executed soon after they returned to the Fire Nation capital. Still, he was eligible for the throne if something happened to their father—and sooner later, something _would_ happen to him, Azula would eventually see to that if no one else spared her the trouble—and therefore a threat to her, so if their father decided he had to go, then he had to go.

And if not? She shrugged and turned away. Well, accidents could always be arranged.

After all, he wasn't _that_ amusing.

**oOo**

"What did she say to you?"

Zuko continued to study the walls of their prison as if they were works of art hanging in a prestigious museum rather than blank metal. There was a door on one wall leading to a primitive bathroom; access to water hadn't been denied them, which meant either Katara wasn't considered a threat or Azula was confident of her ability to neutralize her, or both. There was a single bed against the opposite wall and a single, small window high up near the juncture of roof and the wall opposite the locked door. It was glazed and barred and far too small for anyone to wriggle through, even if softened and rent by prolonged exposure to heat, but he filed its presence away for future reference.

He also filed away the location of the small, unobtrusive pipe extending out over the bathroom door. Katara had already informed him of the drug that had been piped in to them earlier, the one that had rendered them both unconscious. Or at least, the one she'd inferred. Studying the small pipe, sniffing the air, Zuko detected the faint scent of _lazura_, an effective sedative generally used for medical purposes. Generally, but not always, as he'd informed Katara.

"Well? What did she say to you?" Katara demanded from her seat on the bunk.

Zuko turned at last to look at her. She had gloved her hands in water from the bathroom and was slowly rubbing her wrists, as she'd already done for him as soon as their bindings had been removed and the guard slammed and locked the door shut behind him. Instead of answering he moved closer, fascinated by the slow glide of hand over wrist, up and down and back again. He knew from experience how soothing the motion was, the coolness of the water a balm against abraded skin, the slight pressure of Katara's fingers sensed more than felt through the water itself.

She was glaring at him now, snapping her hands outward and causing the water she'd been controlling to leave her hands and splash at his feet. He jumped back a step and returned the glare, then shook his head and grimaced in apology. "Sorry. It's just that…my sister says a lot of things, most of them calculated to be painful to whoever she's speaking to. So what she said to me, it was just the usual crap. Nothing you need to worry about."

He winced; poor choice of words there, and Katara pounced on them like a ferret-cat on a ball of string. "Nothing I need to 'worry about'?" she repeated sarcastically. "If it wasn't something for me to worry about, you'd have just said it was nothing to do with me. So spit it out; what did she say?"

On the third repetition of her question, her eyes blazed with anger and her hands clenched into fists as she half-rose from the edge of the bed.

Unconsciously Zuko took a step back, then stopped himself, his own fists clenched as if for battle. But this time Katara wasn't the enemy, and she had a right to know what the future held for her. At least, according to Azula. "She said she'd sent word to our father about you."

"And he intends to kill me?" Katara guess, slumping back down on the bed, a posture almost of defeat except for the defiant tilt to her head.

Zuko indicated the far side of the bed and raised an inquisitive eyebrow; when all she did was shrug and scoot in the other direction, he sat down and rested his arms on his knees. "Maybe," he said. "But not right away. Azula said," he hesitated, not sure how to put it other than bluntly, then opted for the straightest route in order to get the words over with. "Azula told him you were beautiful, and his reply was…" He nearly choked on the words, but managed to get them out. "He said he'd never bedded a Water Bender before. I think he means to make you his concubine."

Katara considered his words silently. When she did finally speak, it was in a low voice, near a whisper. "Concubine," she repeated. She turned her eyes to meet his. "When?" she demanded angrily. "As soon as we get there? Not till after the baby's born? When?" She repeated the question with urgency and anger.

Zuko couldn't answer that question, and told her so. "I have no idea. I've never been able to get into my father's head, not the way Azula can. And it might just be a bluff," he added, hoping it was true but not willing to bet on it. But the comfort, the hope had to be offered. "He might just be trying to scare you. Or Azula could be lying."

Katara's gaze filled with contempt. "I'm not stupid, Zuko," she snapped, turning away and drawing her knees to her chest. "I don't doubt that your sister is evil enough to want to torture me, but we both know our future isn't going to be full of smooth sailing and successful hunts. She wouldn't have any reason to lie to us."

"No," Zuko admitted after a strained pause. "She wouldn't. The truth is just as bad as any lie she could make up."

"No, the truth is _worse_ than any lie she could make up," Katara corrected him, her voice low and tremulous. When Zuko tried to look at her face, to see if she was crying or about to, she sensed his attention and turned to face him. Her eyes were dry, filled with more anger than despair, and he smiled in relief.

"What are you smiling at?" she snapped. "This is all your fault."

"Yes, it is," he agreed, the smile fading as his expression became serious. "I take full responsibility. For everything. You can't imagine how sorry I am—and believe me, I know how inadequate a stupid apology is. If it wasn't for me, you wouldn't be in this mess."

Unexpectedly she smiled. "Yes, it's your fault," she agreed, dropping her knees back to the bed and half-turning toward him. "But I have to admit, I never expected you to own up to it the way you have. Or to really seem remorseful. If you're trying to impress me, it's working."

"No, it's not that," Zuko stammered, reddening in surprise and embarrassment. "I wasn't trying to…I just wanted to…"

"Did you really throw up after you raped me?"

Startled at her bluntness, Zuko gaped at her, then nodded. "Yes. I felt like an animal, like some ravening beast with no control. And the men…" He shook his head. "They acted like it was some great thing I did, like it made me one of them." He shuddered in remembered disgust and astonishment and self-loathing. The room around him faded; he was once again at the railing of the ship, his stomach ridding itself of its contents, his mind flailing, one part of him refusing to acknowledge that he was capable of such behavior, the other part berating him for it.

The room came back into view as he felt the soft press of lips against his cheek. Katara was…kissing him? His eyes focused on her face as he remained frozen, not sure what to expect next, staring at her, golden eyes into blue. "What was that for?"

"For coming after us. For publicly acknowledging our child. For caring enough to do both." She turned away, then back again. "For not being the monster I thought you were."

"The Gods know I acted like one," he muttered, embarrassed and stunned at her words. "I still don't understand," he admitted after a moment. "Why?"

She regarded him steadily, studying ever feature of his face before speaking, not to answer his question but to ask one of her own. "Zuko, if your father makes me his concubine, then that means the only sexual encounters I'll ever have experienced will be rape. True?"

He nodded cautiously. She was so close, her face only inches from his, eyes hypnotically wide but calmer than they had been only moments ago, filled with something akin to understanding, sympathy, stopping short of the forgiveness he knew he'd never deserve, but far closer than he'd ever dared to hope. "My father will break you or kill you trying," he said, continuing the bluntness that had characterized their conversation today. "If he allows you to have the baby, he'll hold it over your head as a threat, to force you to do as he says."

She nodded. "That's what I thought." This time her voice was a bit shakier, but she deserved nothing less than the whole truth, unpalatable though it might be for both of them.

"I'm sorry," he said, inadequately. How many times could he say it, mean it, and still have it mean nothing? He'd stolen this woman from her people, attacked her, taken her virginity, gotten her pregnant, and indirectly gotten her brother and friend killed as well.

But in spite of all that, in spite of the fact that he'd done so much damage, she'd saved his life. She'd spoken words of understanding.

She'd kissed his cheek.

"So if that's the case, then it's a future I want to change," Katara whispered as his mind whirled, reaching up and hesitating only a second before touching his cheek, fingers brushing gently against the bottom of his scar. He went rigid, afraid to move, afraid she'd back away and end the unexpected moment of intimacy between them. "I want you to change it for me, before I'm forced into slavery and you're executed for treason, before our child is taken from me. Can you do that for me? Will you?"

Wait, what was she asking? She couldn't possibly mean what he thought she meant…it was crazy, insane. "Katara, what are you asking?" He had to hear the words from her lips before he'd be willing to believe his interpretation of what she was saying.

Unexpectedly she blushed and lowered her eyes. "I'm asking you to show me what it's like when it's something both partners want, when they're both in their right minds and willing." She looked at him through her eyelashes. "I want you to make love to me, Zuko. Before your crazy sister changes her mind and decides to separate us."

* * *

_A/N: I think you can see why it took me so long to write this chapter; I struggled with it quite a bit, but in the end I decided to make this The Moment when things change once and for all between Zuko and Katara. If it seems too rushed, I'm sure you'll all voice your objections and it's possible I'll do a rewrite if enough people think it's too soon. Thanks for reading and being so patient with me._


	21. Making Love Out of Nothing At All

**Warning: Sexual content. Definite "M" rated chapter. Oh, and the title is a song by Air Supply that seemed to fit. :)**

A stunned silence followed Katara's words, a silence that stretched and lengthened until she could no longer stand it. Zuko was staring at her as if he couldn't believe his ears, and Katara felt the need to break that silence. "Zuko? Well? Say something!" she demanded.

He continued to stare at her, stunned. "You want me…you want me to…"

A flush spread over her face and neck, and she lowered her eyes. "You heard me. Don't make me ask you again. Either say yes or say no, but for La's sake, don't make me ask again!"

He couldn't trust himself to speak. Katara's request had opened both a flood of emotions and a physical reaction he hadn't been expecting, a flush of heat, a tightening in his groin at the thought of making love to this woman rather than…what had happened between them before. How could she want him to touch her, allow herself to touch him, without being overcome with loathing and disgust?

He cleared his throat, tried to speak, couldn't, cleared his throat again and finally managed to croak out three words. "Are you…sure?"

She responded without words, by reaching out with both hands and stroking her fingers along the edges of his face, gently tracing the hard ridges of his scarred eye. She inched closer, and he automatically reached for her, running his hands down her arms and taking her hands in his. She didn't flinch from his touch, she didn't seem as if she were bracing herself to endure something she didn't really want to do. Instead, she closed her eyes and sighed as he kissed the palm of first one hand and then the other.

"Are you sure?" Zuko asked again, quietly, his voice barely a breath above a whisper. She nodded, still with her eyes closed, and he realized how very much he wanted to do this thing, to make love to Katara, injured back be damned, and make things right between them, at least for as long as they were allowed to remain together.

The kiss would decide it. Even though she could stand the feel of his hands on her, even though she was able to touch him back so tenderly, it was the kiss that would decide it. The last time he'd kissed her it had been in rage and sudden, urgent need that overpowered reason and intellect; if she could kiss him back, then her words wouldn't simply be words, they'd be truth, felt as well as spoken.

He leaned closer and pressed his lips softly against hers. They parted beneath his, inviting him to deepen the kiss, granting access to his probing tongue, meeting it with her own. Without conscious volition his arms encircled her, pulling her close, and she allowed that as well, her hands once again stroking the sides of his face, moving upward till her fingers entangled themselves in his hair.

She felt so cool against the flushed heat of his skin, yet he could tell she was responding to his caresses, his kiss, that she really did want what she'd asked of him. That she could allow herself to feel desire for him even after what he'd…he cut that thought off sharply, before the cynical, self-hating part of himself could spoil the moment. The only one who had the right to pull away, to stop this, was Katara, and she wasn't doing either. But even if she decided at the very last moment that this _wasn't_ what she wanted, Zuko was determined to keep control of himself and allow her that veto.

Katara couldn't believe she'd had the audacity to ask what she'd asked of Zuko, that of all men she was allowing him to hold her, to kiss her, the way she was now. She was even more incredulous at how easy it was to respond to his caresses, how she felt her own body burning with desire for a man who'd…she cut that thought off sharply. No. She wouldn't go there. Zuko wasn't the man she'd thought him to be; his actions since he'd discovered her pregnancy had been those of an honorable man, not a monster.

_When the inner fire of a Fire Bender takes control, it takes a strong will to wrestle it back into submission._ Iroh's words came back to her as clearly as if he'd just spoken them. For a fraction of a second she tensed, wondering what she would do if it happened again, then forced herself to relax_. It won't. Zuko won't let it, and if he does, you're a much stronger Waterbender than you were before. If I decide to stop, then I can make him stop as well._

Zuko must have felt the tension in her body; he drew back, ending the kiss, and looked into her eyes. "Katara," he said, his voice husky. "If you want to stop…"

She shook her head. "No."

"If you want to stop," Zuko stubbornly persisted, wanting to make sure she understood his intentions clearly, with no confusion and no misunderstandings between them, "then all you have to do is say it. No matter _when_," he stressed, anxious that she get his meaning.

She responded by kissing him again, turning his thoughts to mush and his willpower into a puddle. When the kiss ended, this time by her choice, Zuko felt dizzy, light-headed, in a way he'd never experienced before. And when Katara's lips moved over to his ear, a shiver ran down his spine. "Zuko, quit borrowing trouble and just make love to me. Now."

She nipped his earlobe and he was lost. With a low moan he pulled her face back to his, kissing her deeply as he eased her down onto the bunk until her head rested on the single pillow they'd been allotted. He kicked off his still-damp boots and fumbled for the belt holding Katara's simple tunic cinched to her waist. He spared a moment to place a reverent kiss on her abdomen as he stripped off her clothing, murmuring a low apology to the baby for any inconvenience he or she might experience, eliciting a giggle from Katara.

He'd never heard her giggle before, and found it enchanting. Almost as enchanting as the sight of her lying naked on the bed.

Katara watched through half-lidded eyes as Zuko removed his own clothing, tossing it onto the floor next to hers. _He really does want this baby,_ she realized. The kiss on her abdomen spoke volumes. And he wanted her as well; that much was flagrantly obvious as he stood at the foot of the bed, unselfconsciously naked, gazing down at her with a mixture of awe and desire smoldering in his golden eyes.

She offered a welcoming smile as he joined her on the bed. He was watching her carefully, looking for any sign, any hint that she wanted him to stop, that he was hurting her or frightening her or touching her somewhere she'd rather he didn't.

What he saw caused him to suck in his breath sharply. A small smile hovered over her lips, her cheeks were flushed, and her eyes were closed. Without opening them, she murmured: "Don't stop there, fire boy."

That almost undid him completely, the bestowing of a nickname so unexpectedly; almost made him stop what he was doing so he could offer up some sort of incoherent thanks, words of appreciation that would do nothing except spoil the moment. And so he kept his mouth occupied with kissing Katara.

And when they finally joined, he was as stunned as she to realize that she'd reached the fullness of pleasure. He marveled at how intense the experience was. How incredible he felt, almost as if it were his first time. He'd never felt this way with another woman.

Not even Mai.

As soon as he had the thought, he banished it. Mai didn't belong in this moment, didn't deserve to be on his mind even in so negative a way. Katara didn't deserve to share this time with any other woman. Especially one who couldn't even come close to her in spirit and beauty.

Zuko kissed Katara on the forehead before pulling out and rolling over onto his side, breath coming in gasps, heart pounding, pulse racing. One glance at Katara showed her as flushed and sweaty as he was, and she turned her head to smile at him, a slow, sweet smile that caused his racing heart to skip a beat.

"Thank you," she whispered. Before he could offer her his own thanks, she went on: "Thank you for giving me a good memory. For making it right between us." Katara took a deep breath. "For loving our child."

He took her hand in his and kissed her knuckles before releasing her and rolling onto his side, leaning on one elbow in order to regard her. "I'm the one who should be thanking you," he protested softly, reaching out to brush a strand of dark brown hair away from her eyes. "For forgiving me enough to let me do this for you. And for loving our child as well," he added. "I was afraid you would hate him for how he was conceived."

He hated to bring that up, especially now, but it had to be said. He had to know if she would push him away again now that he'd done as she asked, or if she'd allow him to remain a part of her life. Or at least, as much as Azula and Ozai would allow.

Katara frowned. "Mood spoiler," she muttered, then caught him when he would have moved away from her. "No, don't go. I'm not angry."

He cautiously settled back onto his side, and she nestled her head against his shoulder, reaching out half-shyly to hug him to her, carefully avoiding the worst of the still-raw wounds on his back. "I hate what happened between us. I hate this war and what it's done to so many people. But I don't hate you any more." Blue eyes met gold, shining with honesty and determination. "You could have left me Azula's prisoner, saved yourself, but you were willing to trade yourself for me. You told Aang the truth about what happened between us, and you didn't have to do that, either."

He shifted uncomfortably in her hold. "Yeah, well, don't turn me into a hero just yet. I was still going to turn Aang over to my father…but only if it meant your freedom. I'd do anything to keep you and our child away from the Fire Lord's court." His voice turned bitter. "Not that what I did matters much; now we're both prisoners, and it's only a matter of time before my sister or some Fire Nation bounty hunter finds the Avatar."

He left unsaid the fate that Aang faced if and when that happened; they both knew Ozai wouldn't allow the boy to live long after his capture.

"Lady Mishara will know what to do," Katara insisted. "Or Toph will take him away from Ba Sing Se, someplace safe where he can continue his training." That is, if the younger girl could convince him how foolhardy it would be to go after Katara. "And your Uncle, won't he help?"

Zuko nodded. "I never got the impression he was all that eager to turn Aang over to my father," he admitted. "That something else was going on in his mind." He shrugged. "I guess I'll never know now." He eased himself out of her hold, just long enough for them both to clean up and don their clothing, then stretched back out on the bunk.

Katara came immediately into his arms, resting her head comfortably just beneath his chin, and he closed his eyes to savor the moment before they returned to their earlier conversation. "What do you think the others will do, Jet and his friends? Will they help protect Aang?"

Katara had been trying not to think about what Mai had told her, that it was Jet who'd killed Kya, but suddenly found herself blurting that confession out to Zuko. "Do you think she was lying?" she asked afterwards.

Zuko shook his head. "Believe it or not, I think she was telling the truth," he admitted. "If she'd done it she'd wouldn't have bothered explaining anything. It's not her style." His eyes hardened. "But if the others don't know it, then they don't know they have a traitor in their midst. I just hope Toph and Lady Mishara can get Aang away before that bastard does any more damage."

"I get why he did it," Katara admitted. "I still hate him for it, but I don't think he saw betraying you and Iroh as the same thing as betraying Toph or Aang. He hates anyone Fire Nation. With good reason," she added in a low voice.

The words sprang from his lips before he could stop them. "What about you? Don't you have good reason?"

She turned to look at him, frowning. "Zuko, are you trying to get me to hate you again? I'll never be able to forget what happened between us, how our baby was conceived, but I'm not some child who only sees things in black and white, ice and ocean. What happened, happened. Stop bringing it up." Her breath hitched in her throat. "But don't expect me to _ever_ forgive your sister for killing Sokka. He was all the family I had left."

"I'd like to kill her myself for that alone," Zuko admitted morosely. "And if I ever get the chance, I will." It was a flat promise, and Katara nodded her agreement. Vengeance wasn't the only answer, or even the best answer, to every problem, but in this case…in this case, she knew she wouldn't rest until that evil bitch had paid for her many crimes.

Zuko kissed the top of her head, turning her thoughts in a completely different direction, and she pulled him down to join his lips to hers. "I'm not sure if I totally get the concept of making love," she murmured in her best attempt at a seductive voice. "Maybe you should show me again. Just to be safe."

Her grin was wicked, her eyes half-lidded with the most intense "come hither" look he'd ever seen, and her offer too wonderful to resist.


	22. Triangle?

**Elsewhere**

"Sooo…come here often?"

Their new traveling companion stared blankly at Sokka, who returned her gaze with what he no doubt thought was a suave smile (it wasn't), then turned her gaze on Ty Lee. "Is he for real?"

Ty Lee shrugged and unsuccessfully struggled to hold back a smile. "He's about as real as they get."

The three of them were riding in the back of a grain cart, heading for the small market town that had been the farmer's original destination when they flagged him down and asked for a ride. The old man had looked askance at the three youngsters, then shrugged and jerked his thumb over his shoulder. "You c'n ride inna back, with the grain. Just don't knock any out or I'll be addin' it to yer fee."

Suki was the name of their new traveling companion, a Kyoshi warrior who was on the mainland for some mysterious purpose and had stumbled upon Sokka and Ty Lee while searching for fresh water. She'd been wearing her formal warrior's robes and face paint and brandishing a deadly looking fan, but Ty Lee had convinced her they weren't enemies, and Sokka's darker coloring had marked him as Water Tribe from the moment Suki had seen him and therefore in no way to be considered a Fire Nation sympathizer.

He hadn't given Ty Lee away as Fire Nation, either, perhaps out of gratitude for her saving his life and perhaps because of that embarrassing admission she'd made back on the beach. Or for reasons of his own; who knew how Water Tribe chieftains who were out to rescue their kidnapped sisters and had just lost a lot of men and ships in a battle against the Fire Nation thought.

"Fire Nation sank my ship," had been his first words to Suki, bluntly and bitterly spoken. He'd told her a carefully edited version of the truth while Ty Lee listened and internally marveled at how skillfully he danced around the parts that would give her true identity away. In his version, there had been an attempt at a hostage exchange for someone called Ty Lee, but he implied that she'd died with the others when Azula threw her princess-sized temper tantrum. The real Ty Lee suddenly found herself named Kiki, a kindly Earth Kingdom girl who had rescued Sokka from the sea after witnessing the battle from shore.

Fortunately for Sokka, and probably for herself, Ty Lee was quick on the uptake and had an entire history for her new persona ready when Suki's questions inevitably turned to her fortuitous appearance on the beach just as Sokka was about to drown. "I ran away from home," she said cheerfully. "Wanted to see more of the world, my parents were way overprotective and wouldn't hear of it, so I just decided to make a go of it on my own." She made a face. "I ran into a few problems and was about to go back home when I found the beach…and Sokka here." She patted him on the arm and smiled. "I promised to help him find his sister once he was better, so here I am!"

She'd offered Suki a broad smile and let her fingers linger on Sokka's arm in case the other girl didn't get the hint that the Water Tribe man was the only reason she was sticking around. She knew it was childish and possessive, but from the sidelong glance Suki gave her, along with a cynical up-curve of her lips, she got the idea.

It wasn't much of a cover story, but it would do. When Suki asked Ty Lee about her belongings, she lied and said they'd been stolen, which was part of the reason she'd decided to return home since all she had was the clothes on her back and a little money. That was about where Sokka stood, except he didn't even have any money; when asked, he'd offered them a blank look.

"Um, don't you know what money is?" Suki had asked disbelievingly.

Sokka's response had been prompt and indignant. "Of course. We just use a barter system back home. Works fine."

And now he was making goofy remarks, trying to get Suki to open up about what exactly a Kyoshi Island warrior was doing off of Kyoshi Island, and not getting much out of her except raised eyebrows and mysterious hints that meant nothing out of context.

Eh, Ty Lee had already figured out the gist of it; Suki was on some kind of spying mission. These days, who wasn't?

Sokka went back to peppering Suki with questions, who went back to being all mysteriously silent and coy, which suited Ty Lee just fine. Well, sort of; she felt remarkably jealous about the attention Sokka was paying to the Kyoshi Warrior. He'd certainly never felt comfortable enough with Ty Lee to be so open and friendly. Of course, the situations weren't even close to being similar; what if Ty Lee's impulsive declaration of love had ruined things between them before anything interesting could even start? Or what if it was just that she was Fire Nation and therefore the enemy? Again, she wondered what was going through Sokka's mind and again she dismissed the thought as impossible to know without coming out and point blank asking him.

Now was certainly not the time, not with Suki as an unwelcome third to their group. Personally she thought she and Sokka should just dump her off at the market town and continue on their own, but as a professional spy she knew an asset when fate threw one her way. The Kyoshi Warriors had a fearsome reputation, and having one on their side would go a long way to helping them reach their goal. Well, Sokka's goal, although it was now Ty Lee's goal as well. As far as she was concerned, once Azula had shown herself willing to let Ty Lee die, she wasn't owed a single second of continued loyalty. And if that meant she was now a traitor to the Fire Nation, so be it. She'd be Kiki, a slightly silly Earth Kingdom runaway who'd fallen for a rogue Water Tribe chieftain and damn the consequences.

Her mind returned to practical matters after a few more minutes of amiable bickering passed between Suki and Sokka. He was teasing her about her makeup and she was explaining the tradition behind it and making slightly rude comments about Sokka's own unkempt figure and his endless speculations as to when exactly they might be able to get something to eat.

"When we get to the market town," Suki interjected at his last grumbled question on that subject. She called out to the driver: "Hey! What's the name of this place we're heading for?"

"It's called Market Center," he called back over his shoulder, then returned his attention to the ostrich-horses pulling the cart, shaking the reins over their backs to encourage them over a steep patch of road.

Market Center. How original. Ty Lee returned to brooding over her sudden attachment to Sokka and her jealousy of the attention he was paying to Suki. If she continued to travel with them, Ty Lee's feelings could be a problem. She was a professional, she knew better, but it was too late to backtrack, to tamp down on her emotions. She'd allowed herself to fall head over heels for Sokka, and now she was just going to have to take the consequences.

It would help if Suki wasn't pretty, as they'd discovered once she'd removed her elaborate face-painting. Or if she wasn't petite and friendly and slender and useful. In the looks department Ty Lee could more than hold her own, but in the competence department Suki had her beaten hands down. She'd come prepared with a bedroll and civilian clothing and food and water and even medical supplies. Including proper bandages for Sokka's head and some sort of anti-infection medicine she insisted he swallow before they headed for the road in hopes of finding a ride. Considering how he babbled on about eating blubber back home and how much he missed it, the gagging and disgusted faces he'd made while swallowing the medicine had to be exaggerated.

"Hey, Kiki, what can you tell me about the direction Princess Azula's ship went after it sank Sokka's fleet?" Suki asked, bringing Ty Lee out of her brown study. She started, just a little, and answered the question and the others Suki had about the battle.

That conversation kept them occupied for over an hour, with Sokka adding his own observations and occasional humorous remarks. Ty Lee marveled at his resiliency; she'd found him dour and grim, not a big surprise under the circumstances of their first meeting, but the fact that he'd lightened up as much as he had told her a great deal about the true nature of his personality. Under that gruff exterior was a light-hearted boy longing to be free. Fate had temporarily released him from all responsibilities but one: to find his sister and return them both safely home.

If he knew how unlikely it was they'd achieve that goal, he wasn't admitting it. Nor would she, she silently admitted as she admired his well-cut features under cover of fussing with his bandages. He would find Katara or die trying, and Ty Lee had gladly tied her fate to his.

**oOo**

It was almost dusk by the time they reached Market Center and slipped off the back of the grain wagon, groaning and stretching. The road had been bumpy and the hard wooden surface of the cart uncomfortably butt-numbing, but they'd made far better time than they would have managed if they'd had to walk. Especially with Sokka's head wound.

He'd fallen asleep after about an hour of travel time, head resting on a sack of grain and legs curled up under him, looking like a small boy instead of the hardened warrior he was. Ty Lee caught Suki looking at him a couple of times and her heart skipped a beat; was the Kyoshi Warrior falling for him, too? That would be awkward, to say the least, since Ty Lee had no intention of allowing a romantic rivalry to form. Sokka was hers, whether he knew it or not; she hadn't lied when she told him she believed in love at first sight, and the way he'd reacted to her while she was his captive told her he was at least beginning to have some kind of feelings for her.

And he hadn't given her away, hadn't denounced her as Fire Nation and left her on her own once Suki found them. That was something. Even if it was only gratitude, it was still something. Something worth nurturing, worth fighting for.

Worth ditching Suki for, asset or no asset.

Fortunately for Ty Lee's nerves, Suki didn't seem inclined to linger over Sokka once they arrived. She briskly paid the driver the agreed-upon fee and swept up her small bundle of belongings as she looked around the small town with a practiced eye. "Looks like there's one good-sized inn over there." She nodded at a moderately large building with a stable attached. "As good a place as any to spend the night, if it's OK with you two."

Sokka shrugged. "I'm the one without any money, remember? So I guess you ladies get to make the decisions for now. I just want to figure out the best way to track down my sister."

They made their way to the inn and haggled with the landlord over the price of two rooms and dinner for three. Then Ty Lee insisted Sokka get some more rest while she headed for the market to get the necessities—clothes, travel packs, shoes, medicine, whatever she could find in so small a town.

Surprisingly enough she found almost everything she was looking for and brought it back to the inn within an hour, just as the market stalls were closing down and the shops were locking up for the night. Dinner was waiting when she arrived and she ate with gusto, although not nearly with as much enthusiasm as Sokka. It was amazing, the amount of food he could put away; she and Suki watched with something approaching awe as he finished his third helping and looked around for more.

When he saw the two women watching him with open mouths and wide eyes, he calmly swallowed his last bite before casting an inquisitive look at them. "What?"

"You eat like a starving pig-mole," Ty Lee said frankly.

"Exactly like one," Suki agreed. She and Ty Lee exchanged amused smiles, which Sokka ignored with a look of stoic resignation.

They left the dining area shortly after Sokka finished a double helping of honey treats and, at Suki's suggestion, went for a quick stroll before bed. "You know," she'd said. "To help with digestion."

"I never have any problems with digestion," Sokka muttered, but only after emitting a discreet belch.

The strolled down the main street, gazing at the now-closed stalls and shops, lit only by the full moon and brilliant stars. It was so different than a Fire Nation village, Ty Lee reflected, where there was always artificial light somewhere.

Her reveries were interrupted when Suki abruptly spoke. "There's something I have to tell you two."

Ty Lee felt a tightening in her gut; something was different about Suki all of a sudden, and her instincts warned her to tread lightly. "What?" was all she asked.

"I had a little trouble when I first arrived," Suki replied. "Ran into a group of Fire Nation sailors. Said their boat sank, but wouldn't say who sank it." She shifted her attention to Sokka. "It wasn't you, was it?"

"I wish," he replied frankly. "We did sink a courier, but any survivors were taken prisoner, didn't see anyone swim ashore." He froze in the middle of a shrug and turned to Ty Lee, the sudden distress on his face clear under the moon's clear light. "You don't think…nah, it couldn't have been. Could it?"

"Could be what?" Suki asked, and before Ty Lee could stop him, Sokka answered.

"Prince Zuko's ship," He replied through stiff lips. All signs of ease vanished with those words, and Ty Lee sensed again the driven young man who'd taken her prisoner. "He had my sister, if another Fire Nation ship was sunk nearby, it had to be his. It had to be! And that means…"

"That means absolutely nothing," Ty Lee said firmly, reaching out and taking his hand in hers, holding it even when he would have pulled away. She waited until she was sure she had his full attention before speaking again. "Even if they were from Prince Zuko's ship, it doesn't mean anything. It doesn't mean Katara's dead."

He squeezed her hand before gently disentangling their fingers. "I know. And I won't give up until I found out one way or another. Too many lives have been lost."

"Too many lives have been lost for too many years," Suki put in softly. "This war has to end. And the only one who can do it is the Avatar."

Something in Sokka's posture must have alerted her, some small facial expression not well enough hidden, and Ty Lee's hands readied themselves in case a chakra point needed immediate attention. "You know something about him, don't you," Suki said, looking from one to the other. "Look, I know you don't have any real reason to trust me, just like I don't have any real reason to trust either of you. Especially you, 'Kiki'," she added, giving Ty Lee a hard look. "But Sokka is willing to cover for you, and I've never had any reason to mistrust a Southern Water Tribe member, so I'm willing to go along with it."

Ty Lee started to protest, to deny, but the words died on her lips as she saw the look in Suki's face. Implacable, determined…and knowing.

"He was in the South Pole but we don't know where he is now," Sokka finally answered. "That's the truth. And it has nothing to do with finding my sister."

"I think you're wrong about that," Suki said, her voice still soft. "What would you do if I told you I had information that the Avatar and General Iroh had been spotted in the Earth Kingdom? In Ba Sing Se, to be exact?"

Ty Lee and Sokka stared at the Kyoshi Island warrior. "Iroh was with Zuko," Sokka replied warily. "He drew up the treaty his nephew forced me to sign." He spat reflexively, away from both women's feet. "And if he's in Ba Sing Se, alive, then chances are the prince is as well." _And my sister,_ was the unspoken, hope-filled ending of that statement.

"Then I think we know where we go from here," Ty Lee agreed. "Look, Suki, I don't know what you think you know about me, but I'm going to say this once and hope you believe me: I just want to help Sokka find his sister. That's all. No ulterior motives."

"I do believe you," Suki replied. "That's one of the reasons you're still alive instead of lying by the side of the road with your throat slit."

With that, she turned and started back for the inn. "We'd better get a good night's sleep. We'll want an early start in the morning. And Sokka, you need to have a healer, a real one, take a look at your head. Just to be safe."

Sokka stared after her. "Did she just tell me I should have my head examined?" he finally asked as she disappeared from view.

Ty Lee sighed and reached for his hand again. This time, he let her keep it as she tugged him forward. "We both should," she replied, trying not to let her unease at Suki's casual threat show. "We should have just said good-bye and sent her on her way."

"We still could," Sokka said, but Ty Lee shook her head.

"Too late for that. We'll just keep an eye on her, she'll be keeping an eye on us, and between us all eyeing each other hopefully we'll have enough eyes left to track down Lord Iroh and find out what happened to your sister."


	23. Those We Leave Behind

**Ba Sing Se – Eight Days Earlier**

"What do we do now?"

That was Mishara, turning to look at Iroh, voice deceptively calm, but he knew true rage when he saw it.

"We leave this house," he replied, and she nodded instantly, as if that decision had already been reached in her own mind. No doubt she had a safe place already set up in case of just such an emergency. "We split up. I doubt that your young friend Jet has anything on his mind right now but the safety of his other friends, the ones undercover in the Earth King's palace, do you?"

So much for keeping secrets from the Dragon of the West. Mishara allowed her shoulders to slump, her worry to show. "Yes, that's probably where he's headed," she admitted. "I'll take us to a place he doesn't know about, just in case…" The words dried up in her throat, and Iroh placed a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"Just in case," he repeated solemnly, like her not finishing the sentence. "What of your niece and the Avatar?"

"I'll leave a message for Toph, one that only she will understand," Mishara replied. "I'll tell her to meet us at the rendezvous house on the lower level, the one Jet doesn't know about. We all have places the others don't know about," she added. _Just in case._ Iroh nodded.

Minutes later, as they were preparing to leave, the front door opened and Toph stepped warily into the front hall. She listened intently, then nodded to herself in apparent satisfaction. Closing the door softly behind her, she made her way to the staircase and called up it. "Mi-Mi? It's me, Toph."

She heard her aunt's hurried footsteps, the jittery rhythm of her heart and racing breath telling Toph something else had happened. She listened quietly as Mishara told her about Katara's kidnapping and Jet's probable destination. "Do you think you can find Aang, bring him to the other house?" she finished.

"I'll find him," Toph said confidently. She reached out and clasped her aunt's hands in her own, hearing Iroh's soft footsteps at the top of the stairs. "But I'm not taking Aang anywhere except out of Ba Sing Se." She sensed her aunt's immediate protest and spoke over the other woman's words. "It's the safest way for all of us, including him. We have no idea if this assassin told anyone else about us, or if she's in cahoots with Long Feng. It won't be safe for Aang to stay here and it won't be safe for you if he does. You know I'm right," she added, raising her voice and aiming it at Lord Iroh.

"Of course you are," he replied. "What's more, it's best if I leave as well." His voice was heavy with regret and sorrow. "We've brought this on you, Lady Mishara, and you have my most sincere apologies."

Mishara waved his words away with one hand. "Your nephew has proven himself to be more honorable than I believed," she said by way of reply. "He takes responsibility for a child I've no doubt was conceived…well, it's not my business to speculate." But her eyes were hard, and Iroh simply nodded. They both understood, all too well, the extremes of war. The atrocities that were committed during such times. The way it twisted people into actions they might otherwise never have even considered themselves possible of conceiving, let alone doing.

Like brutally telling a beloved relative that he was too much of a burden, while actually leaving him behind in what would ultimately prove to be a futile effort to save him from a fate that he would one day have to face. Zuko had gone to trade himself for Katara—a trade Azula would never allow, a fact which both Zuko and Iroh knew and ignored—while leaving his uncle behind to try and protect him. To give him a chance to avoid returning to the Fire Nation.

A chance he would have to give up in order to protect the new friends he'd found here in Ba Sing Se. "You could stay with us, help us," Lady Mishara suggested as Toph headed for the door.

Her niece paused, obviously waiting for Iroh's reply, so he made it as quickly and politely as possible. "I would like nothing more," he said sincerely, taking Mishara's hand in his and bowing over it. "But you and I both know, as long as I remain here and Mai is aware of my presence, I am a danger to you. I must leave, and make it known that I have left, in order to keep her from returning for me, as I'm certain my niece will order her to do once she's delivered Katara and Zuko to her."

Iroh watched as Mishara struggled with the unhappy truths she'd just been handed, then nodded approvingly as her expression cleared and she nodded once to show her agreement. "Safe journey to you," she said, and kissed him gently on the cheek. Then she turned to her niece. "And to you as well, my wild child," she said fondly. "Be safe."

Toph hugged her aunt tightly, then hurried out the door, not bothering to gather up any of her few belongings. Iroh approved; the girl understood the need to travel light. He did as well

Mishara stared at the door, an expression of unutterable weariness settling onto her features, as if the years she always seemed to laugh off had suddenly descended on her all at once.

Iroh knew exactly how she felt.

**The Next Morning**

"Why do we have to hide out here? Why not just use Suki's Kyoshi Island papers to get us in?"

Sokka was being deliberately difficult, Ty Lee just knew it; she'd already explained it to him and now here she was, doing it all over again while the three of them hid in the forest. Suki was ignoring them both, or at least appearing to as she stood watch silently over her two arguing traveling companions, making sure no one snuck up on them.

"Look, Sokka, that's not a good idea," Ty Lee said as patiently as she could. She understood, she really, really did, but Sokka's concern for his sister needed to translate into actions that would help them all rather then get them killed.

"But what if they give you a hard time because you're supposed to be dead?" Sokka pressed on, still arguing his point. "What if they're suspicious? What if…"

Ty Lee silenced his protests by leaning forward and pressing a gentle kiss to his lips. When she pulled back, he opened his mouth to speak again, but she laid her fingers against his lips. "I can handle any questions or suspicions they might have, trust me. Even if Azula or Mai have already been here. Just let me spy out the situation first, okay? I promise, I'm really, really good at what I do."

She gazed earnestly into his eyes, willing him to quit being so stubborn and finally get the fact that she was confident she could do this thing, that she wasn't lying to him. She doubted her ability to _ever_ do so, not when she felt herself falling deeper and deeper in love with him with every passing day. In spite of his more exasperating personality traits. Or, perhaps, because of them. Only the Spirits knew how love really worked; certainly no human she'd ever broached the subject to had been able to help her understand why emotions worked the way they did to her satisfaction.

After a long moment, Sokka dropped his gaze. "Fine," he muttered. "We'll do it your way."

With a relieved sigh, Ty Lee leaned forward and kissed him gratefully on the cheek. "Thanks. Just remember, it'll be a few days travel there and back again, and no, I'm not going to show you how I get in and out." This was as much for Suki as the Water Tribe Chieftain, and the other woman acknowledged her understanding with a slow nod of her head as she continued to silently scan the dense growth that surrounded them. "I'll be back as quickly as I can."

**oOo**

"Seems strange."

Sokka started and turned to stare at Suki; she'd been silent so long he'd half-forgotten her presence as he brooded over his worries about his sister…and Ty Lee. The Fire Nation girl had risked herself to save him, but what if she'd changed her mind? What if she wasn't trying to help them, but instead intended to betray them to the Fire Nation in order to save herself? He shook off such doubts in order to focus better on Suki's words. "What seems strange?"

She turned her head and gazed down at where he sat, back against a tree, doggedly cleaning his boomerang. "The Fire Nation having a tunnel into Ba Sing Se, but only using it for spying. Doesn't that seem strange to you?"

Sokka shrugged. "I guess it depends on their goals." At Suki's raised eyebrow, he elaborated: "If they wanted to invade, they'd need to scout things out first. So this could just be a first incursion. But if the tunnel's been here as long as T…as long as we've been told, then it's more likely they found somebody inside to negotiate with. If they can take Ba Sing Se without having to commit a ton of troops and weaponry, they save themselves a lot of cost and effort. Why waste resources when you can take something by stealth? That's what I'd do, anyway," he concluded with a shrug.

Suki stared at him. "Impressive. Nice to see you have a brain after all."

While Sokka sputtered indignantly, she grinned and wrinkled her nose at him. "I'm just teasing you, Sokka. But I really did have no idea you had a strategic bone in your body."

"Yeah, well, I'm just full of surprises," Sokka shot back with a grin.

"Do you trust her?" was Suki's next question, effectively quelling the playful mood that she herself had initiated.

Sokka sobered instantly. "I dunno," he said with a shrug. "About as much as I trust you, I guess."

This time Suki's grin was rueful as well as appreciative. "Ouch. Nice one."

"If you don't trust her, then why didn't you follow her?" Sokka asked, truly curious. Even he could tell that Ty Lee wasn't all that good at woodsmanship, whereas Suki was obviously at home in the forest. "Try to winkle out where the tunnel is?"

"What makes you think I'm not going to?" Suki asked with a sidelong grin. "I mean, really, how hard do you think it'll be for me to pick up 'Kiki's' trail? A city girl like her? I was just giving her enough time to get a good head start, feel safe. Another hour and I'll take off after her, make sure she isn't going to give us up to her Fire Nation buddies, and make note of the tunnel's location."

"So where does that leave me?" Sokka demanded, jumping to his feet. He'd been itching for action, and was determined not to be left out this time. "Sitting here waiting for you two to get back? No way!"

This time the grin was deliberately challenging. "Then try to keep up!"

**oOo**

Ty Lee watched them race after her supposed path from the safety of a nearby tree branch, then grinned and shook her head. "So predictable," she murmured to herself, although the dissection of her motives and reasons the Fire Nation might or might not have for not using the tunnel for other purposes had been enlightening to hear. Still, even though protecting the Fire Nation's interests didn't hold the same urgency it once had, she owed it to them not to just let everyone else know their business—or where they did their business.

She frowned; somehow that didn't sound right, even in her own head. Oh well, whatever. If it came down to it, then at least she knew she had done everything she could to protect the Fire Nation's secrets while at the same time helping Sokka find his sister.

With that thought she shrugged and glanced once again in the direction her traveling companions had just taken. No sign, no sound. Just to be sure, she waited a few minutes longer in case they were pulling a double-bluff. Nope, still no sign. Good. She reached out and grasped the branch in front of her, swinging back and forth until she gained enough momentum to fling herself across the short distance to the next tree. Landing gracefully on a branch closer to the ground, she eyed her next target. No point in giving them an immediate trail to follow when inevitably Suki discovered that the other trail simply disappeared.

Singing quietly to herself, Ty Lee stayed tree-bound until finally forced to drop to the forest floor, at which point she beelined for the secret tunnel that led into Ba Sing Se.

**Meanwhile, In Ba Sing Se…**

"There you are!"

Toph sounded exasperated, but Aang wasn't in the mood to listen. "Go away, Toph," he said dully. "I'll be back later. I promise."

He was sitting down, leaning against the stone wall in an alley-way not too far from the tea house where they'd first discovered the two Fire Nation idiots who'd started all this craziness, at least from Toph's point of view.

"There's no 'back' to go to," she retorted as she reached out and none-too-gently hauled him to his feet. He was grieving Kya's death, but there was more to worry about now and he needed to hear every word of it. "Listen, things are really in the gutter right now…"

Aang listened, wide-eyed, as Toph finished the tale moments later. :So Sparky went after them, determined to surrender himself, Tea Man left to help protect Mi-Mi as best he could, and you and me need to hit the road as well."

Aang had appeared ready to do so the moment Toph told him Katara had been taken by a Fire Nation assassin, but she'd held him back, forcing him to listen to the entire story first. "Look, Twinkle Toes, I know you want to go and do the Grand Heroic Thing and rescue Katara, but we have to think before we act. We have to get out of the city first and foremost. That's not gonna be a problem, but figuring out what to do next could be. Any thoughts?

"I have to find Appa," Aang replied, his mind racing. Being forced to listen to the entire story hadn't cooled his desire for action, only increased its urgency. But it was obvious that the Fire Nation woman had some way in and out of the city, and if her mission was to get Zuko to surrender himself to his sister, then it was equally obvious she wouldn't stick around any longer than she had to. "Once I have Appa back, I can find Katara quicker. Where do you think they'd leave her, somewhere on the shore or…" His question trailed off as Toph's unseeing eyes seemed to bore into his, her face wearing an expression of utter disbelief.

"You think they'll let her go just because Sparky decided to be all noble and give himself up?" She snorted disdainfully. "Really, Aang, you can't possibly be that naïve. Remember, Sweetness is carrying Sparky's kid now. His sister sounds like the type who wouldn't give up that kind of leverage for anything. So you can kiss the 'they let Katara go once they had Zuko' fantasy good-bye. And I'm going with you, by the way," she added. In case he didn't get that yet, which it seemed he hadn't by the way he kept saying "I" instead of "we".

Aang nodded, then spoke aloud when he realized how useless a motion that was. "Okay, I get it. So how do we sneak out of the city?"

For the first time in hours Toph allowed a grin to creep over her features. "Oh, I've got that covered. Just follow me."


	24. Converging Paths

**The Present**

Iroh trudged wearily along the nameless dirt road. He'd been walking for just over a week, eight days by his count, and he felt as if he were getting nowhere. On the one hand, he hadn't been intercepted by either Earth Nation patrols or Fire Nation raiders; on the other hand, he felt as if he were getting farther and farther away from aiding his nephew and Katara.

And his newest family member, the one true innocent in all this.

The one who would suffer the most under Ozai's unloving guidance.

He sighed, hitched up his robe a bit and trudged onward. Perhaps once he reached undisputed Fire Nation territory he could risk finding a swifter means of transport; although he loathed the idea of stealing anyone's mount, he might not have a choice considering the lamentable state of his purse. The few coins left would be enough for food and shelter and not much else.

With a philosophical shrug, he turned his mind to less unpleasant subjects, memories of his youth, of his life before his son died, his wife…

Such thoughts kept him company as he moved onward, ever onward. He had obligations and was no longer inclined to dodge them as he had been in his younger years. This time, grief would not destroy his will as it had when his son died.

**oOo**

"I still say that was a pretty dirty trick you played on us," Sokka grumbled. He was sharing the back of the small cart they'd procured while Suki, who had revealed herself to be an expert drover, occupied the small bench in the front.

"Well, spying on someone who's just trying to help you isn't very nice, either," Ty Lee replied.

"Let it go, Sokka," Suki called back over her shoulder. "I have."

Suuure she had. Ty Lee didn't believe that for a second; she'd seen the black look on Suki's face when she herself had returned to camp with the "good news-bad news" information she'd gained from her covert entry into Ba Sing Se. However, she had the grace not to complain when she'd been outwitted.

"I already told you about a hundred times, Sokka, just because Azula probably considers me a traitor to the Fire Nation for helping you doesn't mean that I _am_ a traitor," Ty Lee reminded him. "Really, I mean, how reliable an ally would I be if I just completely turned my back on my own people? Not everyone in the Fire Nation is like Azula or the Fire Lord. There's good people there just like I'm sure there's bad people in the South Pole."

That was an argument she hadn't tried before, and she felt a sense of satisfaction as she saw that Sokka was actually considering her words. The black scowl eased and he offered her a lopsided smile by way of apology. "Yeah, I guess you're right."

She patted his hand and smiled back at him, full-on dazzle, all teeth showing, and his own grin turned dopey. "At least now we know you're sister's still alive, right?"

They'd learned that and the unwelcome news that Katara was once again a Fire Nation prisoner, along with Prince Zuko. Why he'd been willing to give himself up in exchange for Katara, or at least in exchange for her continued well-being, remained a mystery, even to Ty Lee. She honestly couldn't think of any reason why Azula's dour older brother would put himself out for a mere hostage.

That detail bothered Sokka even more than it did her. "Yeah, alive and still a hostage," he grumbled, staring morosely at the passing scenery, such as it was. "I just don't get it, Ty-Kiki," he corrected himself hastily. Even though Suki had made it quite plain that she didn't buy "Kiki's" identity for a second, there was no point in giving Ty Lee away completely. "Why would that arrogant, self-righteous bastard try to help someone he took captive in the first place? It doesn't make any sense."

It didn't, Ty Lee agreed with him, but didn't see any point in repeating what she'd already said. Zuko's motives would have to remain a mystery until they had a chance to ask him, if such a chance ever arose. In the meantime, it was useless to speculate, although honestly there wasn't much else to do while they plodded along the winding back roads on their way to the Fire Nation. It was just as useless to speculate as to Suki's motives for continuing to travel along with them; Ty Lee suspected she was on some kind of spying mission and was happy to travel with someone who could ease her way into the Fire Nation. If that was true, there wasn't much Ty Lee could do about it, at least, not right now; she'd just have to wait and see.

Personally she wasn't too keen on the idea of heading back home to possibly face Azula's long-delayed wrath for her actions in saving Sokka, but the Water Tribe chieftain was determined to rescue his sister, and she wasn't ready to give up on him, no matter how sulky he'd been for this leg of the journey. No matter how whiney, how childish…

Sokka reached over shyly and put his arm around Ty Lee's shoulder, kissing her on the cheek. "I never said thank you for risking yourself to help me, for finding out my sister survived the sinking of Zuko's ship."

He smiled, and all the unpleasantness between them melted away as Ty Lee felt her insides shiver as if a thousand flutter-by's had just settled in her stomach. "You're welcome," she said softly in reply, then their lips met and her happiness expanded tenfold.

"Time to make camp." Suki's terse words were followed immediately by the jolting of the cart as they left the narrow trail they'd been following and headed downhill toward the wide stream that paralleled the dusty road. Sokka yelped and Ty Lee tumbled backward into the side rail of the wooden cart, turning to glare at Suki as soon as she regained her balance. The Kyoshi Warrior merely grinned over her shoulder as she led the weary ostrich-horses into cover.

Ty Lee jumped down from the back of the cart and immediately began brushing away their tracks while Sokka pulled two narrow lathes from beneath their meager baggage and headed back uphill to lay a false trail for a mile or so. It wouldn't fool anyone seriously determined to find them, at least not for long, but hopefully would keep any interested parties off their backs long enough for them to make a fast getaway.

When it got dark they made a fire, careful to keep it banked and unseen from anyone passing by on the road, although they'd heard no one for hours since first making camp. Conversation was desultory, mostly focusing on what they were going to do once they'd passed the border from Earth Kingdom to Fire Nation. Disguises were imperative, even if no one could mistake Sokka's blue eyes and deeply tanned skin as belonging to anyone but a member of one of the Water Tribes.

Suki jokingly offered to make him up as a Kyoshi Warrior and the ensuing hilarity kept their thoughts on lighter matters for the few hours before they drew straws to see who would take the first watch.

It was Ty Lee who was awake when Aang and Toph made their appearance just before dawn the next morning.

* * *

_A/N: I apologize for the lengthy delay and the shortness of this chapter. Next one will feature Zutaraness and then after that you'll find out how Aang and Toph found Our Intrepid Travelers...and how close they are to Uncle. Thanks for your patience and to anyone who is still reading._


	25. We Meet Again

**Near The Earth Kingdom-Fire Nation Border (At Sea)**

"Zuko?"

"Hmm?"

Katara leaned over, her hair tumbling down to rest on either side of Zuko's head, brushing against his shoulders and the nape of his neck in a way he found quite pleasant. He was lying on his stomach on their narrow bunk, head resting on his arms, eyes closed. It wasn't the worst way in the world to wake up, but he wasn't quite ready to join Katara in facing their fourth day in this Spirits' forsaken cabin.

It wasn't that they'd been tortured; far from it. His sister seemed to have virtually forgotten them, not even stopping by to taunt them, not separating them, instead—and uncharacteristically—leaving them strictly alone. They saw only the guards who brought them their meals—three a day, food of the same quality Zuko had always been accustomed to. They'd even been given water with which to bathe although under the stern eye of pair of husky female Firebenders who refused even the privacy of a curtain when Katara washed herself. His sister might not be gracing them with her presence, but it was obvious she wasn't taking any chances, either.

That little bit of discomfort had been the only real unpleasantness during the past four days, and Katara's continued interest in his "tutoring her in the art of lovemaking", as she put it, made the nights more than bearable. He'd never been so content, certainly not during his lengthy and sometimes contentious relationship with Mai. Even at their happiest, she'd never made him feel the way Katara did.

Still, his sister's actions toward her captives, or lack thereof, made him even more worried about what she had planned for them when they reached the Fire Nation and their father's palace. He didn't think of it as "home", even in his most private thoughts; it hadn't been home to him since his mother's death. But it was their destination, and he didn't want to think about it until he had to.

Unfortunately for his attempted peace of mind, Katara had other ideas. "Zuko!" she called, shaking his shoulder with increasing impatience. "You know what I want to know. How close are we?"

He groaned softly and buried his head deeper in his arms. Every morning the same question; every morning the same determination on his part to dodge it, to distract her, to avoid thinking about the future. Usually it worked.

But not today. Today, when he finally rolled over and faced Katara's intense blue stare, he recognized that she wasn't going to let him avoid answering this time. "How close are we?" she asked again, quietly, but with a look of determination that belied her tone.

He closed his eyes before responding. "We'll probably be there by tomorrow morning, early afternoon at the latest."

"That soon?" Katara sounded stricken. Without thinking he sat up and enfolded her in his embrace, offering comfort in a way that was starting to feel natural for the first time in his life. He felt a fierce protectiveness toward her and their child, along with a healthy dose of fear for what the future held for all three of them.

He marveled at the fact that Katara wasn't fighting him, wasn't pushing him away, but was accepting the comfort of his arms, no matter how fragile a comfort it might turn out to be. Once they arrived, he'd be powerless to stop his father and sister from doing whatever they wanted to the two of them, and he feared more for Katara than himself, and not just because of the baby.

She was a Southern Water Tribe Waterbender, a practitioner of an art his father had declared forbidden, a survivor who had been hidden by her tribe since birth in defiance of Ozai's orders.

And a damned beautiful woman.

His sister's insinuations continued to haunt him. His father had a taste for beautiful women, always had, even when his mother had been alive. Would Azula's taunts turn out to be true? He couldn't stand the thought of his father forcing himself on Katara, just as he still loathed himself for doing the same thing. The only difference was, his father wouldn't be in a towering rage, far beyond rational thought or the ability to worry about consequences, in terror for his life and, more importantly, what he believed to be his loss of honor. No, Ozai would do it without care, without remorse, as he'd done more than once in the past to other female war captives who'd caught his attention.

Zuko felt sickened, disgusted, as if seeing for the first time how truly twisted his life had been until Katara's pregnancy had changed everything, from his outlook on life to his interpretation of honor. Honor before had meant redeeming himself in his father's eyes, capturing or killing the Avatar and restoring his place as his father's heir. Now, he realized how hollow an ambition that had been; he would never gain his father's love, which was he'd really been seeking, almost since birth. No, Azula had always been Ozai's favorite, and no wonder; she was just as treacherous and cold-blooded as the man who had spawned them both.

"Tomorrow," Katara whispered, interrupting his unpalatable thoughts.

"Tomorrow," Zuko confirmed, easing them both back down until they were once again stretched out on the bunk, Katara resting comfortably against his side. Her stomach pressed against his hip, still flat and hiding the secret of their child from prying eyes, but he knew that would soon change…if she was allowed to live long enough for those changes to occur. No matter what tradition he'd invoked by publicly claiming Katara's child as his, he knew he would have no control over her fate once they reached his father's court.

"We'd better try it tonight, then," Katara said suddenly, her voice muffled against his shoulder.

He twisted his head to look over at her in confusion. "Try what tonight?" he asked, wondering if she was thinking it might be the last time they'd ever make love.

"Tonight we have to try and escape," she replied, her voice coolly matter-of-fact. As if she'd already planned something, or had been giving this a great deal of thought. As if it was a simple fact of life, and for her, it probably was, even though she knew how difficult it was to escape from a Fire Nation warship. And his sister's was nearly twice the size of his.

"Oh," was the only comment he managed as his mind scrambled to catch up to where she'd obviously already arrived. Of course, she was right; if they were going to try and escape, now was the time to do it. And it wasn't as if he hadn't been giving it serious thought the closer they drew to home. They were close enough to the coast to reach shore without fear of drowning, but far enough away from civilization for it to take time for anyone on shore to reach them. Even if boats were sent after them, Katara was a Water Bender, a much more proficient one than the defiant hostage he'd taken…what, three months ago, now? Not quite, he calculated, but close.

Not that it mattered. The only timing that mattered now was how long it would take him to come up with a good enough plan to get them out of here alive.

"Here's what I've been thinking," Katara said, her eyes gleaming.

Zuko listened, and his respect for her grew as he realized how much thought had been put into her plans.

Maybe, just maybe, they had a chance after all.

**Near The Earth Kingdom-Fire Nation Border (On Land)**

"Um, Sokka? Sokka?"

The young chieftain grunted and rolled onto his back without opening his eyes. "Whassup?" he slurred, not quite able to come fully awake after his interrupted night's sleep. Middle watch always stunk, and he always seemed to get stuck with it. "S'not fair," he mumbled, wishing Ty Lee would just leave him alone…wait. Ty Lee?

Memory returned in a flash, and with it, full wakefulness. He wasn't back home being woken up for breakfast at camp during a mid-winter hunt; he was in a forest in the Earth Kingdom near a rambling back-road leading to the Fire Nation.

All this passed through his mind in seconds as Ty Lee spoke again. "Um, there are some people here who want to talk to you. Friends of yours, I think?" The rising inflection of Ty Lee's voice made it a question and brought him instantly to his feet, boomerang at the ready.

What he saw when he looked around made him immediately blink as if to clear his vision, but the scene didn't change. Ty Lee was still encased in stone up to her mid-section with her arms bound to her sides, and Suki was still lying quite still on the ground with a nasty looking spear held to her neck…by Aang?

"Aang!" he cried out in stunned disbelief. "How did you find…where have you…Oh, it's OK, they're friends," he added, belatedly realizing that the reason the Airbender was threatening his two companions was because he seemed to think Sokka was their prisoner or something. And who had stuck Ty Lee into stone like that? He glanced around, seeing no one. "Did you learn some Earthbending too?" he blurted out, then clamped his mouth shut in chagrin as he realized that Aang had grown hair and that his tattoos were completely covered. As if he were in disguise.

Well, crap. If the Avatar had been travelling incognito, then Sokka had just blown his cover sky high, but at least he'd done it in front of two women he trusted. "Seriously, it's OK, you can let them go," he added, kneeling by Suki's side and gently moving the blade away from her throat. It was the tip of Aang's flying thingamabob, which previously had only been a staff when closed up. Now, however, it had sprouted a lethal tip; when had that happened?

Probably, Sokka realized, about the same time the kid had decided upon the wisdom of keeping his identity to himself. "Sorry I gave you away," he mumbled, looking up at Aang with an apologetic shrug.

With a swift movement the weapon was withdrawn and returned to its customary storage place on Aang's back. "It's OK, Toph!" he called out. "Sokka says they're friends!" Then he stepped over Suki's reclining form and pulled Sokka into a warm embrace, which his friend happily returned.

"We thought you'd been killed in a battle with Princess Azula's war ship," Aang said soberly as the stone prison holding Ty Lee abruptly released her, sinking back into the ground as if it had never been.

"No, not me. Everyone else," Sokka said bitterly, "but not me. She saved me." He nodded at Ty Lee, who was fussily brushing crumbs of dirt from her dress and boots, a moue of distaste pursing her lips as the presumed creator of said prison finally emerged from the cover of the trees.

It was a young girl, Sokka realized, about Aang's age, bare footed, wearing Earth Kingdom style clothes and sporting some incredibly long bangs, beneath which a pair of eerie silver eyes peered out at the scene before her.

"They showed up right before I called you," Ty Lee said, giving Toph a sour look. "Before I could do anything, she closed me up in that filthy dirt pile and vanished back into the trees." She spat something that looked suspiciously like a small pebble onto the ground near her foot, then stepped away from it. "She even covered my mouth until the Avatar told me to call you."

The young girl seemed unperturbed by Ty Lee's animosity; she simply shrugged and sat cross-legged on the ground, seeming to go out of her way to find the area with the most dirt and wriggling her toes into it. "Hey, I don't go into a hidden camp with a bunch of strangers without taking precautions. Especially when one of them is Fire Nation."

Sokka rolled his eyes. Great, another cover blown. Not that Suki had ever believed in the "Kiki" story, but at least she'd been willing to go along with it. Ah well, once they were inside Fire Nation borders it would have become obvious which one of them knew the territory and customs and which ones were actually who they claimed to be.

Ty Lee ignored Toph, instead turning to study Aang intently. "So this is the Avatar," she said in a soft voice. "The object of so much interest and fear for the royal family."

"The reason Katara got into the mess she's in," Aang corrected her curtly, turning his attention back to Sokka. "I have to admit, I never thought I'd see you again once I left Southern Water Tribe territory. But I'm glad you're here, for whatever reason and," he glanced at the two women who had moved to stand on either side of Sokka, "in whatever company. Your sister's in serious danger."

"I know," Sokka replied, his voice equally curt. "But if the next words out of your mouth are 'it's all my fault'—well, your fault," he corrected confusedly. "Then forget it. Katara would trade her life for yours in a heartbeat, and we all knew things could end up this way. So don't bother apologizing or beating your breast in guilt."

Aang, who had been about to voice that very sentiment, who had been eaten up with guilt for months, closed his mouth on his words and simply nodded. Then he joined Toph in sitting on the ground while Sokka introduced his traveling companions and gave abbreviated versions of how they'd met and ended up on the road to the Fire Nation. Abbreviated, but accurate, no attempts at deceit as to how Ty Lee had saved him or where she came from—but he still called her Kiki. Just in case.

Then it was Aang's turn; may as well get the formalities out of the way. He explained how Toph had rescued him from prison, how Katara and her friend Kya had found him, and was just touching on how Prince Zuko had ended up sorta-kinda helping them when Sokka interrupted, an outraged expression darkening his features.

"Wait, what? You tried to kill Zuko and my sister stopped you? That's nuts! Why would she do such a thing? I mean, yeah, there's the whole sanctity of life thing, but come on! This is Prince Zuko we're talking about! She and I both wanted to kill him even before he forced that treaty out of me and took her hostage!"

"I think it was mostly because of the baby," Aang said without thinking, then bit his lip in chagrin. How could he have just blurted it out like that?

If there was any question about Sokka knowing about his sister's condition, it was answered by the young man's shocked expression. "B-baby? What baby?" he stammered in confusion.

Ty Lee sighed. So much for finding the right time to tell Sokka about what had happened to his sister. "Prince Zuko's baby," she answered when Aang hesitated, apparently unsure how to tell his friend what had happened. "Sokka, I'm sorry, I heard about it when I slipped into Ba Sing Se, but I didn't know how to tell you…"

"How to tell me what?" the young chieftain's voice was hard, and his eyes had narrowed to furious slits as he looked from Aang to Ty Lee and back again. "That His Royal Assholeness raped my sister and got her pregnant? Or are you going to try and tell me she fell in love with him and let him put his filthy hands on her." He stopped abruptly, rage choking his words. Neither Aang nor Ty Lee met his eyes as he jumped to his feet and stalked off to grapple with the unwelcome revelation he'd just had dumped on him.

No one moved to go after him, not even Aang, who shifted uneasily but subsided after Toph touched him on the arm and shook her head. "Give him some time," she advised in the gentlest voice the Avatar had ever heard her use.

Suki, who'd remained silent throughout the entire exchange, rested her chin on her crossed arms, which in turn rested on her knees. "He was going to find out sooner or later," she said. "And he wasn't going to take it well no matter how he heard it or who he heard it from."

Ty Lee nodded vigorous agreement. "I wish I could help him, but I don't think he particularly wants any sympathy from me right now." She gazed wistfully in the direction Sokka had taken before vanishing into the trees.

"You saved his life at no small cost to your own," Suki reminded her. "He's already figured out that everyone from the Fire Nation isn't evil. He'll come around." She didn't sound particularly happy about that thought, but her expression remained neutral.

Ty Lee sighed, then gasped with pleasure as a small, flying animal swooped out of the trees and landed on Aang's shoulder. "Ooh, is it yours? What is it?" she asked, admiring the creature's large ears and eyes and white fur before reaching a tentative finger to touch its silky soft black-and-white ringed tail.

"I call him Momo," Aang replied, glad for the momentary distraction his new pet offered, and equally glad he didn't seem to mind their new companion's touch. "We found him—or he found us—shortly after we caught up with Appa." He idly scratched the flying lemur behind one oversized ear, who made a sort of purring-cooing sound as he rubbed his cheek affectionately against that of the Avatar.

A few minutes later Sokka stormed back into the clearing and thumped himself down on the ground next to Ty Lee. "Okay, I'm ready to hear the rest," he announced grimly.

"There's not much more to tell," Aang started to say, but Toph interrupted him.

"Sure there is," she said. "There's the stuff about Katara's Waterbending friend getting killed, and how Mi-Mi took Iroh and Zuko in, and how Zuko went to give himself up to save Katara…"

"Wait, what?" Sokka was beginning to look like exactly what he was: a man who'd received too much conflicting information in short a period of time. "What you mean, he gave himself up to save my sister?"

Aang let Toph explain about Mai's appearance at the house after Kya's death, how she'd taken Katara and used threats against her life to get Zuko to surrender to her.

That was obviously too much for Sokka to believe; he rolled his eyes and scoffed: "Seriously? You want me to buy that that arrogant, self-righteous, bastard actually tried to help the woman he kidnapped and raped and got pregnant?" His voice rose with every word, and Ty Lee wisely kept herself from putting a soothing hand on his arm.

Surprisingly, it was Suki who interrupted the Water Tribe chieftain's diatribe. "People change, Sokka. You should know that by now, especially when the heart's involved." She glanced sidelong at Ty Lee, who shifted uneasily under that knowing look and finally dared to reach out and take Sokka's hand in hers.

He shifted closer without speaking, then sighed and dropped an arm over her shoulders. She snuggled closer as he muttered: "Fine, people change. But I'll reserve judgment on Zuko till I hear from my sister's lips how she feels about him and the whole baby thing. My only question is, would him surrendering himself have gotten Katara freed?"

"I doubt it," Ty Lee said quietly. "Not if I know Mai. Oh, I'm not saying she'd go back on her word, but she wanted Aang and Iroh as well, not just Zuko. If he showed up alone, then all he did was make himself her prisoner as well."

"Yeah, but he's a Firebender and Katara's a…she's tough," Sokka finished, mentally berating himself for almost giving up his sister's most precious secret. Not that it was much of a secret at this point, especially if she'd acquired a "Waterbending friend" somewhere during her travels. He'd have to wait for a private moment to ask for more details from Aang, maybe once they were on the road again.

"But Mai was probably under orders to get them to Princess Azula as quickly as possible," Ty Lee pointed out. "Which meant she wasn't working alone, not if she expected to have three prisoners, all of them Benders."

"This is all a bunch of useless speculation," Toph announced. "And a waste of time. We should get going, not sit around gabbing about what-ifs and maybes. The facts are what we should be worried about, right? So what're the facts?"

Right to the point as usual. Sokka, who'd been about to speak, closed his mouth and looked thoughtful. "Not much," he finally admitted. "Katara and/or Zuko may or may not be prisoners of either Mai or Princess Azula, or both. If they are, then they're on their way to the Fire Nation, if they haven't gotten there already. If they aren't, if one or both of them got away, then we have no idea where they could be."

"If I was them, I'd make my way somewhere inland and south, as far from the Fire Nation and its navy as possible," Suki said thoughtfully. "Which means we could search for them for years without ever running across their trail."

"But if we go to the capital, we're bound to find _something_ out," was Ty Lee's contribution. "There's always gossip in the marketplace, and I have enough contacts to find out if any important prisoners were taken to the palace." Or if there had been any public executions of said prisoners, but she wasn't about to say that part out loud. Sokka had enough on his mind without her bringing up the possibility that his sister was dead.

"So it sounds like we have two choices," Sokka said after everyone had time to digest the meager crumbs of information they'd shared between them. "We either split up and try to follow both leads, or we stay together and continue on our way to the Fire Nation."

"Yep, that about sums it up," Toph agreed. Then, in the same casual tone of voice, she added: "By the way, there's someone coming up the road, traveling alone. Someone ought to check it out. Just in case."

Suki was on her feet in an instant, melting into the trees and vanishing from sight . The narrow game path through which they'd forced their cart wasn't easily seen from the road, but if the traveler decided to head down the grassy verge that stood between road and the forest, he was bound to spot it.

Suki slipped back into camp a few short minutes later. Everyone had risen to their feet and assumed various defensive postures, relaxing only slightly when she reported: "One traveler, like Toph said. On foot. Older, heavy-set, could be either Fire Nation or Earth Kingdom, hard to tell without getting closer. Doesn't look like he's going to leave the road…"

Her voice trailed off as they heard the distinct sound of footsteps approaching the clearing. When Aang turned to Toph to ask her why she hadn't warned them, her wide grin explained everything even before the newcomer stepped into the clearing.

"Well! That didn't take you long, Toph, Aang. So who are your friends?" He gave them a benevolent smile before turning to Sokka and introducing himself with a bow. "I am Lord Iroh. And you must be Katara's brother. So good to see that you weren't killed after all. I'm afraid my niece has never learned the art of diplomacy."

* * *

_A/N: I finish this chapter with the understatement of the year. Sorry the Zutaraness was shorter than the rest, but at least it's there, right? :) More to come soon, I promise._


	26. Best Laid Plans

**Near The Earth Kingdom-Fire Nation Border (On Sea)**

"One good thing about Azula, at least for us, is that she doesn't give a rat-mouse's ass about diplomacy."

Katara tilted her head and frowned inquiringly, so Zuko elaborated: "She knows that since I'm a high-ranking prisoner, she's supposed to personally escort me off the ship. Since that's what's expected of her, she's bound to do the opposite, just have common soldiers take us away and only show up at the palace, when it's time to bring us to my father."

Katara nodded slowly. "So that works to our advantage; if she only sends common soldiers, we won't have her to deal with, at least not right away. Good."

They'd gone over Katara's plan so many times during the course of the day that her head was a whirl of contingency plans and catastrophic "what ifs" that Zuko insisted they cover. This latest "what if" was, at least, somewhat heartening to know; of course, the opposite "what if" was equally opposite in the effect it had on Katara's spirits. "What if," she said slowly, "your sister decides she'd rather torment us in person than go for the more subtle slight of leaving you to lesser soldiers? What if she considers you or me or both of us more of a threat than she has so far?"

Zuko nodded approvingly. "Good, you're beginning to think more strategically." Katara's plan had been well thought out and organized, lacking only his knowledge of how these situations usually worked to give it polish and more than half a chance to work. Not that he'd put it to her in so many words; she'd rightfully have accused him of condescending to her had he done so. No, all he'd done was go straight into drill sergeant mode, forcing both of them to look at the problem from every conceivable angle.

For her part, Katara found herself equally as impressed by Zuko's ability to help her find the flaws in her escape plans. She'd started off a bit miffed that he didn't offer immediate praise for the idea she'd worked out, to basking in the praise he did offer when he'd finally agreed it was the best way for them to get out of this situation alive.

And she very much wanted to live; no matter her resolution to take her own life to spare herself and her child the horrors awaiting them as prisoners of the Fire Lord, deep inside she'd discovered a fierce will to survive. Especially now, with Zuko on her side. Perhaps she wouldn't have been able to forgive him his earlier actions so quickly had they not been thrown together so precipitately, had they not been forced to depend on one another as they had, but that was how the Spirits had decreed things work out, and it was just as well. Especially with no Aang or Sokka to help her.

She swallowed past a sudden lump in her throat at the thought of her brother. Dead or alive, he was in no position to help her now. And for his own sake, she prayed that Aang was still safely inside the walls of Ba Sing Se, with Toph training him and keeping him out of the hands of any other Fire Nation assassins or kidnappers. Or if not still in the city, then far, far away from all this.

"Let's go over it one last time," Zuko said, breaking into her reverie. She nodded and managed a weak smile at his questioning look.

"Right. One last time," she replied brightly, knowing full well that she wasn't fooling him. He could read her so well, after their days of enforced closeness—and the closeness she'd initiated between them that was far from forced. She felt her cheeks warm at the thought of what she'd allowed him to do to her, and how she'd responded...La, what was her problem? She had more important things to think about right now. "So," she said abruptly, hoping he'd ignore the color in her cheeks even if he was able to guess what had caused it. "We expect them to pipe in the gas a few minutes before they come for us…"

**oOo**

Katara felt a hand on her shoulder and came instantly awake. "The gas?" she asked in a low voice as she raised herself to a sitting position.

She felt rather than saw Zuko nod in the semi-darkness of their quarters. If their suspicions were correct, it was nearing dawn, although their cell's single small window showed only the faintest difference in the gloom.

Neither of them had slept the entire night, each taking turns at a watch, with Katara carefully maintaining the chill on the ice plug she'd formed inside the opening of the pipe over the bathroom door. Zuko must have scented the small amount of _lazura_ that had made its way into the room, as they'd hoped would happen.

As planned, Zuko slid to the floor a few feet away from the bed as if he'd been overcome while arising from a more natural sleep, while Katara made her way quickly to the bathroom door, lowering herself carefully to the floor and arranging it to look as if she'd been using the facilities when the drug entered her system. Neither of them wanted to be caught on the bed itself; too far from the door, too confining.

Even if Azula herself came to supervise their removal, Zuko seemed confident that the two of them could hold her off long enough to escape. Once they were out of their cabin prison, they would make their way to the deck railing and throw themselves overboard, using Katara's Waterbending to make their way as far from the ship as possible. Instead of heading directly for land, they would instead make for the open sea, spending as much time underwater as possible. Zuko was a strong swimmer, and Katara could manipulate the nearest current so it carried them far more swiftly than their own hands and feet. And if they acted quickly enough, there might even be a delay before anyone not unconscious or dead even realized they'd escaped.

Zuko lay face down on the floor, one hand over his head, the other outstretched toward the bed. The loosely hanging blankets covered up one thing he hoped would come as a complete shock to anyone entering the room: a pair of ice daggers Katara had fashioned for him. They'd be expecting a fire attack, and if he started with something so unexpected it might put the guards, or whoever, off balance long enough for Katara to make her own move.

His stomach clenched at the thought of sending a pregnant woman into battle, let alone one carrying his own child, but he forced the regret and worry down. There was no way he could manage this ambush alone, and Katara had every right to fight for her own survival. If this was an epic tale, he'd probably be powerful enough to take on the guards all on his own, but this was real life, and in real life only a fool ignored a valuable asset just because it had a beautiful face and body…and happened to be pregnant.

From his position on the floor he suddenly felt the faintest of vibrations that indicated movement of some kind, and tensed. This was it. Within minutes he and Katara would either be on their way to freedom, or…No. No "or". They would be on their way to freedom.

No other possibility bore considering.

**Near The Earth Kingdom-Fire Nation Border (On Land)**

"Well? Aren't you going to introduce me?"

The old man was looking placidly from Toph to Aang, the same, genial smile on his face that he'd worn since coming into view.

"Uh, Sokka, Kiki, Suki, this is Uncle—I mean, _Lord_ Iroh," Aang corrected himself with a slight blush.

Ty Lee knew very well who he was, but kept silent, waiting to see how Suki and Sokka would react. They'd probably spent their entire lives hearing stories about the Dragon of the West, since his fame had spread far beyond the borders of the Fire Nation—his fame, and his reputation. Would her traveling companions remember only the first and not the second? She tensed. If either of them tried anything, she was honor-bound to stop them any way she could, and not just because of who Iroh was, but because of who she, personally, knew him to be; a man of honor, a just man, a great man.

Sokka was casting doubtful looks at the placidly grinning, short, rotund man before them. "This is the Dragon of the West?" he blurted out, disbelief practically pouring out him.

"Yup." That was Toph, piping in from where she'd once again plopped back onto the ground, this time leaning back on her elbows as if to emphasize her unconcern at the newcomer's identity.

Sokka continued to study the stranger doubtfully. He'd heard stories about this man his entire life, from scary "be good or the Fire Nation's greatest warrior will swoop down and carry you off as his slave" stories in childhood to more realistic descriptions of what he'd accomplished as he reached adulthood. He'd been spoken of among the warriors with grudging respect, and had been presumed dead years ago when he allowed his power-crazed brother to seize the throne right out from under him. There was something about a son who'd died, but no real details that Sokka had ever heard.

Well, now it appeared if he had any questions about Lord Iroh, the man himself was here to answer them.

And the first thing Sokka needed to know was something only this man could confirm for them at the moment. "Is it true?" he demanded, taking a step forward, his hand clenching on the handle of his boomerang even as his expression hardened into an iron mask. His "Chief face", Katara called it. "Is it true that your nephew attacked my sister and got her pregnant?"

Iroh's genial expression disappeared as if it had never been, his own face hardening into a diplomatic smoothness that belied his weary resignation. So, this was how it was to be. Very well. He nodded solemnly, never allowing his eyes to drop from meeting those of the belligerent young chieftain standing in front of him. "Sadly, yes. I do not excuse my nephew's actions, but I will tell you this: he deeply regrets what he did, how he lost control, and has told your sister as much. He freely confessed his actions to the Avatar and has surrendered himself in order to try and save her and the child."

"Tried and failed," Sokka said with a snort of disdain. His shoulders slumped, just a little, just enough to let Iroh know that he wasn't going to come under direct physical attack, at least not right now.

"At the very least," Toph interjected grimly, "he kept that cold-voiced bitch from gutting your sister, even if she didn't get all the prisoners she demanded in exchange for Katara's freedom." She tilted her head, first toward Iroh and then toward Aang. "She was pretty clear about what she wanted—and Zuko was pretty clear about what he wasn't going to give her. He didn't bother to wait for us to find Aang, and he made sure his uncle didn't end up in her hands, either."

"For which I am profoundly grateful," Iroh said, mimicking Toph and taking a seat on the ground in a comfortable, cross-legged position that did much to ease the ache in the lower part of his back. An ache he was careful not to allow anyone—with the possible exception of Toph—to become aware of. Now was not the time to show weakness, not in front of this group. Especially when one of their members was Mai's right-hand woman, Ty Lee Ling-bao. He'd recognized her immediately, even if she was dressed in subdued, Earth Kingdom style clothes and calling herself "Kiki." But before he even thought of exposing her, he needed to determine if either of her traveling companions was aware of her true identity and role as Assassin-At-Large for his niece.

And even if the others did know her true identity, it didn't necessarily follow that they knew her true reasons for attaching herself to this group. He would have to determine for himself if she was truly helping them…or if she was playing a deeper game and acting as a spy for Azula.

**oOo**

Katara kept her eyes open only to the tiniest of slits as she lay motionless on the cool steel deck of their prison. She hoped she and Zuko gave a convincing portrayal of people who had collapsed where they stood, overcome by the _lazura _gas.

She heard their door opening and the sound of boots tromping into the room. Two pair, at least, possibly three. Decent enough odds. She couldn't help tensing when she heard the murmur of a female voice from the narrow corridor outside the room; so Azula had deigned to escort them herself. _Fine_, she thought grimly. _Time to show her what a Waterbender working with a Firebender can do._

With a single, fluid motion, she rolled over so she was facing the door and flung the ice daggers she'd prepared directly at the knees of the soldier who'd come to a stop a few feet away from her. She heard movement near the bed and knew Zuko was doing the same-exactly the same, as she'd provided him with an identical set of daggers, an attack no one would be expecting from a Firebender.

Her target collapsed to the deck with a scream. Katara readied herself but prudently remained low to the ground, anticipating the wild shots of flames the wounded man was able to manage before he dropped. They flew harmlessly over her head, and she scrambled to her feet before he could ready himself for a second attack. From the corner of her eye she saw that Zuko's man was down as well, and that he'd scored a direct hit with his fire on the last guard, who'd remained near the door and was now writhing in agony across the threshold.

As one, Katara and Zuko raced for the doorway, leaping across the man's supine form and ignoring the cries for help. As agreed, they split up and each bolted in the opposite direction, Zuko deliberately shoving Katara away from his sister. He saw only her snarl of rage and raised hands; not giving her time to attack, he deliberately aimed at her feet. He wasn't quite ready to kill her, his own flesh and blood, no matter what she'd done. She dodged his blast, but the confined space worked to his advantage; she couldn't use the heat of her flames to fly up and gain the higher ground.

As he raced directly toward her she screamed in a combination of pain and fury, her scream cut off abruptly as kicked her injured leg out from under her and passed her at top speed. He left her screaming once again, this time calling for her guards to stop them.

Time passed in agonizing seconds as Zuko headed for the door at the end of the narrow hallway. That door represented freedom, and when he gained it he almost felt dizzy with relief. He had one hand on the rail and was preparing to vault over the side and into the ocean when the unexpected sound of a familiar voice behind him froze him in his tracks.

"Well played, Zuko. Azula predicted that you'd try something like this; I didn't believe her, so she challenged me to see for myself. And so I have. You've become almost competent during you time of exile."

Zuko turned slowly, just his head, and took in the sight before his eyes with a calm acceptance of the inevitable.

His father was standing on the deck, half-hidden behind the open doorway through which he'd just emerged, but he wasn't alone. One hand rested almost casually on Katara's throat; the other held a knife beneath her chin, just shy of his fingers. A tiny bead of red showed how close the blade was, how close Katara was to losing her life.

With numb fingers, Zuko released his hold on the railing and allowed his hands to hang loosely by his sides. "What now?" he forced himself to ask.

"Now," Fire Lord Ozai replied as he forced Katara to take a step closer, "we return to the palace and determine your punishment for failure…and her punishment for living when I'd ordered all Southern Water Tribe Waterbenders put to the knife years ago." He dug the edge of his blade just the tiniest bit into Katara's throat; she swallowed convulsively but made no other movement, her face carefully blank but her eyes filled with rage. Good, rage was better than resignation, and contained rage meant she wasn't going to lose control and try something stupid.

Azula chose that moment to make her appearance, limping but smirking. "As promised, Father; an entertaining escape attempt." She turned her smirk on her brother, who realized he was shaking with rage of his own. A trap, it had all been a trap, and he and Katara had walked—run, rather—right into it.

"I was intrigued by your sister's insistence that you'd not only fathered this peasant's child, but that you appeared to actually have feelings for her. The fact that you actually stayed behind when you saw me threatening her, instead of making good your own escape, leads me to believe she might be correct in this matter." His father spoke in a slow, insolent drawl meant to provoke, but Zuko refused to be drawn into a war of words.

Azula was still smirking even as a medic rushed up to treat her burned leg. "Thank you for coming here on such short notice, Father," she said, keeping a sharp eye on the medic's hands as he wielded a pair of scissors in order to cut away her trousers and treat the burn. "I trust this was worth the journey."

"More than worth it," Ozai replied with a slow, deadly smile curving his lips. A smile that boded no good for either Zuko or Katara.


	27. Under Darker Skies

_Note: The first section will be the last sorta-kinda cheerful part for a long time, I'm afraid. Especially once we get back to Zuko and Katara later in this chapter. Brace yourselves; as Sarah McLachlan put it, "This is gonna hurt like hell."_

* * *

**Near The Earth Kingdom-Fire Nation Border (Fire Nation Side)**

"This is taking forever, I just wish we could fly there."

It was Sokka doing the grumbling, rather than Aang, which surprised Iroh a bit. He'd thought the young Water Tribe chieftain much more stoic than the youngster who might someday save the world from its present course of folly.

Before Iroh could admonish the young chieftain, however, Toph did it for him. "What are you, nuts? We'd have been shot down as soon as we got within arrow-reach of the border!"

Sokka subsided with nothing more than a glower at Toph's back, with no effect, naturally. Well, Iroh amended with a silent chuckle, with only a slight effect; her scowl turned to a self-satisfied smirk that Sokka couldn't see when he turned back to the front of the cart.

Iroh was riding next to him. They'd decided take on the disguise of a middle-class country family traveling to visit relatives in the big city. Ty Lee had procured Fire Nation clothing for them all, reluctantly donned by the foreign contingent but all of them recognizing the necessity. Sokka's dark skin would brand him as Water Tribe no matter what he wore, and so he had to appear in the guise of a servant, which obviously rankled, but there was nothing to be done about it. No members of his people were allowed any status at all in the Fire Nation, especially not in the capital.

They had spent an amusing afternoon before leaving their forest hideaway, watching while Suki taught him how to drive the cart, but he had a handle on it now and seemed confident enough from his perch next to Iroh. Iroh, who was now the "father" to two daughters and a son and owner of an exotic pet as well as an exotic servant. The perfect disguise for their varied group.

At every town they passed during the first part of their journey Ty Lee made sure to acquire a few more bundles of possessions for each of them, to add verisimilitude to their story. "After all," she pointed out when Aang questioned the need for so many extra clothes and household items, "what kind of family travels without any belongings? Especially marriageable girls who are probably visiting for the sole purpose of snagging husbands."

The only sore spot had been what to do about Appa. The flying buffalo had been forced to remain behind in the forest, mournfully awaiting their return from their foray into hostile territory. His dismay when he'd realized that Momo, the little flying lemur, was going with them had been almost comical, although Aang continued to fret over his friend's temporary exile. He, unlike Sokka, was keeping his worries quiet, only expressed by the occasional wrinkling of his forehead and slightest of sighs.

They had managed to slip through the border with no problems, mostly, Ty Lee and Iroh admitted, because the path they'd chosen to take was generally open since the lands were already considered "pacified". That unfortunate choice of words had caused a great deal of tension between the Fire Nation and non-Fire Nation segments of the group. To Ty Lee it was merely a matter of "that's how things are", while Iroh seemed to understand perfectly well why the Kyoshi Island warrior bristled at the word "pacified" and why Sokka glowered at him for a good hour after they'd crossed into Fire Nation territory.

It would take them several days to reach the capital, and by then Iroh knew they'd have to have more of a plan than "let's see if Katara and Zuko are here and save them." He had a few ideas of his own, but was waiting to see if the others came up with anything first. His reputation for impeccable honesty and fairness, he suspected, was the only thing outside of Toph vouching for him that kept him from being trussed up and left behind with Appa—or left in a shallow grave after Suki slit his throat.

Ty Lee, too, seemed to be on probation. Iroh had ascertained that Sokka knew her true identity simply by listening to what was left unsaid in his description of how she'd come to save him from certain death at the hands of his unfortunate niece. Suki was obviously a Kyoshi Island spy, but as long as her interests and theirs lay along the same path, he was reasonably sure she wouldn't do anything to betray them. Besides, she seemed to have more than a passing interest in the young Water Tribe chieftain sitting sullenly next to him—and not just to tweak "Kiki", either. With any luck, that would keep her on their side a little longer, or cause her to hesitate before abandoning them to do whatever it was she'd come here to do.

Kill Ozai, perhaps?

If that was the case, Iroh wasn't sure how he should feel. He'd never betray the Fire Nation, and Ozai's death would cause serious repercussions, not least of which was that Azula would ascend the throne in his place. Ozai was coldly evil, any good he'd once had in him burnt out by his endless need for power, but Azula was unstable as well as ambitious. Not a good combination. If Zuko, on the other hand, were to take power…he squashed that thought. It would be the best outcome for them all, but Iroh reminded himself this was all speculation. Suki could be here to simply spy out the situation, or to steal plans for some new weapon the military was developing—or to visit relatives.

Still, it helped pass the time, especially since Sokka only spoke to him monosyllables, Aang was brooding at the back of the cart, and Suki and "Kiki" were spending their time either trading politely poisonous barbs or studiously ignoring each other.

Like Sokka, however, he wished they'd been able to figure out a way to fly to their destination. He had the uncomfortable feeling that the longer they took, the less well things would be for his nephew and Katara.

**The Fire Lord's Palace**

Zuko paced the slight length of his prison cell, back and forth, eight steps if he kept them small, five if he stretched out to his normal stride. Just long enough not to feel as if he were going in circles, not long enough for him to work out his anxiety in physical exercise. Where was Katara? They'd been separated after he surrendered on the ship and allowed himself to be taken prisoner, his sister escorting him directly to the palace dungeons, Katara disappearing with his father in some unknown direction.

He refused to think about what might be happening to her, lest he drive himself mad with despair. There were no good options to think of, anyway. The most hopeful fate that might have befallen her was that she, too, was stuck in a prison cell somewhere.

Otherwise…otherwise didn't bear thinking about.

He concentrated instead on what he would do as soon as he escaped. And he would escape, somehow, and get Katara out of this unholy mess he'd landed her in. What in the name of the Spirits had he been thinking when he'd attacked her? What demon had possessed him?

No demon, he silently admitted as he stopped pacing and leaned his arm against the cold stone wall, his back to the bars. Only the demon of his own arrogance and injured pride and anger. Only the demon of his own blood rising to prove itself as dangerous and selfish as the man who'd sired him.

"What's wrong, Zuko? Don't like the accommodations?"

He whirled, angry at himself for allowing his sister to catch him unawares, in a position she would read as defeated or self-pitying. He coldly noted the two guards standing motionless behind her, out of reach of any fire attack he might attempt, although she appeared to have no such misgivings. And why should she? All she had to do was threaten Katara, and he was helpless. "Where's Katara?" Zuko growled as he strode right up to the locked entrance to his prison cell. He clenched his fists around two of the bars, not bothering to stop the steam that instantly arose when his hands made contact with the cold metal.

"Oh, we settled her into her new quarters, gave her something to eat, made sure she drank a cup of tea…"

There was something in Azula's tone, something besides the mockery of her drawling voice, that alerted Zuko, set the hairs on the back of his neck prickling. "Tea?" he asked, a dawning fear clenching his stomach into knots. His knuckles whitened as he unconsciously clutched the bars tighter.

Azula nodded and smiled brightly. "Tea. Of course, with extra honey to cover up the bitterness…"

"Bitter…Spirits, Azula, no," Zuko whispered in horror. "You gave her Bitterroot tea?"

She offered an elaborate shrug, as if the answer were of no consequence, but a cruel half-smile played about her lips, and she was watching Zuko carefully from the corner of her eye. "Father didn't find the idea of raising your half-breed bastard very appealing. So he instructed Lo and Lee to get rid of it."

He instructed Lo and Lee to get rid of it. They'd fed Katara Bitterroot tea, so she'd miscarry. Or had already miscarried, since the tea worked swiftly. He felt numb, too numb to react as his sister obviously hoped he would, too numb to rail at her or their father or those two stupid old women who always obeyed and never allowed so much as the hint of independent thought to taint the tranquility of their empty heads…

Azula tilted her head to one side and pouted. "Oh, Zu-Zu, such a disappointment. Not even enough fire in you to call me names?" She shrugged and turned away. "Oh well. Maybe the next time I visit I'll be able to give you some news that gets your blood up. Once the Water Bender recovers, I'm sure Father will be summoning her for a more…personal…interrogation."

Her nasty laughter echoed off the stone walls as Zuko's control finally cracked. With a snarled curse he hurled fireball at her head, which she easily deflected with a crackling sheet of her own fire. Then he was forced to dodge out of the way as she lashed out at him in return, singing the edges of his sleeves. He winced at the pain his rapid movements caused across the half-healed wounds on his back, then braced himself for another attack.

But Azula was turning away from him, walking casually down the narrow hall that led to his lonely cell, the two guards still turned to face him, arms at the ready as they backed away in her wake.

Zuko didn't bother letting loose with another attack; he needed to conserve his energy for when it really mattered.

For when he could finally do what he'd always told himself he'd never be able to do: kill his father.

**oOo**

It was an impressive room, Katara was sure. Maybe when she felt better, she'd be able to appreciate the luxury in which she'd been installed, a room in the palace rather than a dungeon cell. Appreciate the fact that she was lying on a luxuriously appointed bed rather than on a hard, narrow cot with only the thinnest of coverings.

Later, she'd be able to expend the energy to worry about Zuko and make plans and try to dredge up the smallest bit of hope for the future that might still lurk in the recesses of her heart.

But not now. Now, all she could do was lie on her side, hands curled protectively around her mid-section, and force herself to neither cry nor moan with pain.

How could they have done this to her, to her child, to Zuko, their own flesh and blood? And why? She didn't understand, couldn't understand how anyone could want to rid themselves of a baby in such a manner. Even the children of rape in her own arctic lands were treasured, never blamed for the sins of their fathers, be they Water Tribe or Fire Nation. She'd known they could be cruel, but this…this was unconscionable.

This was murder in its purest, foulest form.

This was something she would kill the Fire Lord and his daughter for the first opportunity she had, consequences to herself be damned.

"_Have a cup of tea, it will help steady your nerves."_

The words echoed through her memory, and she shuddered at the false solicitude that had been present in the old woman's voice. Li or Lo, she couldn't remember her name. Only that she'd handed Katara her own doom and she'd drunk it down, impatient to get it over with, to get past what she saw only as a false veneer of civilization being offered to her, perhaps in consideration of her condition.

Oh, it had been that, all right, but not at all in the way Katara had been thinking. Bitter tears clogged her throat; doggedly, she forced them down, refusing to allow her grief to show no matter how empty the room appeared to be. She could trust nothing in this Spirits' forsaken land, nothing and no one, with one ironic exception.

If Zuko still lived, contrary to everything she should be thinking and feeling, she could trust him.

If Zuko still lived, he would share her grief and anger at the loss of their unborn child.

If Zuko still lived…

She forced her mind away from that path, summoning up the image of Lord Ozai as he stared at her, at the look of immense satisfaction in his eyes as the tea cup had fallen from her suddenly-numb fingers, the way he'd smiled in cruel enjoyment as she realized, too late, that she'd been poisoned, as she'd dropped heavily to the floor while the cramping and nausea began.

She held his parting words in the forefront of her memory as well, a burning brand to fan the flames of anger and force despair away: "Keep an eye on her. When she's recovered enough, bring her to me." Then he'd turned and walked away, and Katara had fallen into the blessed relief of unconsciousness while the poison did its evil work and rid her body of the child that she and Zuko had already come to love.

The child they would never know.

The child Ozai would pay for killing, with his own life.

* * *

_A/N: Well, you were warned. This chapter was the darkest yet, but I make no promises that things won't get worse for some of Our Heroes. I'm not normally a baby killer in my fics, but I did drop hints that this might happen. It seemed appropriate to the story, and I stand by it, painful as I found it to write, like I stood by killing off Sokka in one of my other stories. I hope you'll continue reading to the bitter-sweet end (spoiler alert: I don't like unhappy endings, especially for my romantic couples)._


	28. The Ties That Bind

**One Week Later**

Sokka pretended not to be impressed with the sheer size of the Fire Nation capital. He tried really, really, _really_ hard.

He knew no one was fooled, but no one said anything about it, either, so that was all right. Besides, he was supposed to be playing the part of a servant to a country family, so even if he did occasionally find himself gaping at the size and number of buildings around him, no one would find it strange.

What was strange was the feel of the Fire Nation clothes he was wearing, and how downright weird they looked on him, at least to his eyes. Too much red and gold and black, and his clothes were plain compared to what the others were wearing.

"Kiki" had simply turned her Earth Kingdom dress right-side out, and there she was back in her pink dress with the darker pink trim at hem and neckline. Suki was wearing something with a lot of gold and deep crimson, Aang's clothes were all black with red trim, and Lord Iroh…was wearing exactly what he'd been wearing before. Black robes faded to a deep gray with just a touch of color along the wrists of his sleeves, equally faded to a dull rusty red from the brilliant vermillion he assured them it had once been. "Everyone expects a poor man visiting rich relatives to turn out his offspring in better clothing than he himself wears," had been his excuse.

Sokka privately believed he just wanted to be comfortable.

"We're almost there," Ty Lee said suddenly, pointing at something in the near distance. "There, can you see it? The house with the red and black banner over the door. That's my friend's house. That's where we'll be staying." She sounded excited, but Sokka felt his guts clench. They'd made it this far without trouble; what if Ty Lee's friend turned out to be no friend at all? Princess Azula had left her to die, considered herself betrayed; what if she knew Ty Lee was coming and was just waiting to spring the trap under circumstances she herself had arranged? She was back in the Fire Nation, Ty Lee had learned that much, as well as the fact that she'd brought back her brother and one other prisoner.

And that was all she'd learned. It had to be his sister, it had to be, who else would Azula bring back with Zuko besides Katara? In spite of his own internal voice cautioning him not to get his hopes up, he knew in his heart it had to be her.

They arrived at Ty Lee's friend's house without incident. They waited out of view of the street, behind the high stone privacy wall, but still on the cart in case they needed to flee, while Ty Lee knocked boldly on the front door. As she'd pointed out when Sokka wanted to protest such forthrightness, the servants already knew someone had entered the courtyard, so it would be silly to skulk around to the back entrance. Besides, she was confident her friend—what was the friend's name, anyway?—wouldn't betray them.

When Ty Lee emerged, grinning broadly and gesturing for them to join her, some of the tension churning in his stomach eased, but only some of it. He dismounted, making sure to assist Iroh and Suki and Toph, but allowing Aang to make his own way to the ground, as he'd been instructed. Toph didn't appear to like it any better than he did, but she kept her opinion limited to pursed lips and wrinkled nose. Still, she stepped out of the cart as delicately as Suki, and gripped his hand just tightly enough to make it look as though she really did need his help. And she also stood docilely enough while Aang jumped down and took her arm, "escorting" her to the front door while Sokka eyed the luggage and tried not to grump about his temporary station in life.

After he'd lugged everything around to the side entrance to which a snooty Fire Nation servant—presumably a real servant, not a faker like Sokka himself—directed him, he joined the others in the back room to which the same servant sent him.

Ty Lee's friend turned out to be a handsome Fire Nation nobleman. Of course. Sokka grit his teeth before plastering on a phony smile to greet the man (tall, flowing black locks, intense yellow-green eyes, built like a leopard-seal, all sleek muscles and pale skin and everything Sokka loathed about other men, wrapped up in one package) who rose to offer his hand when he entered the room. The door closed behind them, causing Sokka to look over his shoulder and start suspiciously, but before he could object, Ty Lee had come to his side and taken his free hand in hers and suddenly her friend didn't seem all that much of a threat. "Sokka, this is Ran Lee. My brother."

And suddenly he was no threat at all. "Brother?" he repeated stupidly, then became aware that he was still holding the other man's hand, still shaking it like some kind of idiot, and abruptly let it go. "Why did you say he was a friend?"

"Because that way you guys couldn't have betrayed him if we were caught before we made it here," she replied simply, and Iroh nodded as if it made sense so Sokka supposed it did. "Ran, this is Sokka, the Water Tribe Chieftain who captured me." She smiled fondly and squeezed Sokka's hand as she spoke, to remove any sting from the words.

Ran Lee studied Sokka for a moment, then let loose with a brilliant smile that probably did for women what his sister's smile did for men. "I always told her she'd meet her match some day." He clapped Sokka on the shoulder. "Well done." His smile disappeared as he turned to survey the others. "So, Ty Lee, darling sister of mine, what trouble are you getting me into this time?"

Ty Lee had already stressed that her "friend" was to be completely trusted, or not at all; they'd all agreed that full disclosure was the only way to go. However, before anyone could speak up, Ran Lee's neutral expression faded as he took what must have been his first good look at Iroh. He started, much as Sokka had when the door shut behind him, then strode forward and offered a formal bow. "My house is honored by the Dragon of the West," he murmured, still bowing.

"And the Dragon of the West is honored by your courtesy," Iroh replied as Ran Lee straitened up. "However, if our presence here endangers you in any way, we will leave. All we ask is that you speak of us to no one, at least not until we've had time to find other accommodations."

"I'm aware of your status, Lord," Ran Lee replied, still in those formal tones. He indicated the series of low cushions that Sokka realized must be what passed for chairs in this part of the world. "Sit, join me in some tea, tell me everything you can. I will do what I can to help. I am no traitor, but your brother's rule has raised many issues with the people of the Fire Nation."

"With us, as well," Iroh conceded as he lowered himself to the nearest cushion. Toph and Suki had already seated themselves, and Sokka found himself being tugged downward by Ty Lee's hand. He joined them, offering his part of the tale when prompted by brother and sister, listening to the parts he only knew in bits and pieces and hoping he didn't come out looking as foolish as he sometimes felt while on this quest of his. A quest to rescue a sister whom he had bartered away for the safety of their tribe.

The only time Ran Lee interrupted was when Aang was identified. "The Avatar?" He turned to study the quiet young man. "I am in exalted company indeed!"

Aang's reaction had been to blush furiously, but before he could stutter out more than the beginnings of a protest, Toph clapped a hand over his mouth. "Twinkle Toes is the definition of modest," she explained, then gestured for Sokka to continue talking.

It took over an hour for the entire tale to be laid out, although it might have taken less time without Toph interposing sarcastic comments every few sentences.

When the last voice fell silent, Ran Lee lowered his head and planted his chin on his fist in a thoughtful pose. After a moment, he looked over at his sister and sighed. "So basically you want me to help you figure out how to break into the Palace and free Prince Zuko and your friend's sister. Is that the gist of it?"

Ty Lee nodded with a grin. "Yeah, that's about it. And don't forget, for all I know, I'm considered a fugitive as well, so I can't very well go waltzing into the palace myself."

"And after that?" His sister regarded him blankly, so he elaborated: "After you rescue Prince Zuko and Sokka's sister, what happens next?"

It was Lord Iroh who answered Ran Lee's question. "That will depend on my nephew."

A long silence followed Iroh's words, then Ran Lee spoke again. "I see." He turned to face his sister. "Ty Lee, I believe now is a good time for me to visit our family in the country. I'll leave my most trusted servants to see to the needs of you and your friends." He turned back to face Iroh and offered a deep, respectful bow. "With Ty Lee in disgrace, neither I nor any of the rest of our family is in any position to be involved in politics. I hope you understand."

Iroh nodded his head. "I do. Once the situation has been resolved, one way or another, it should be safe enough for you to return."

Ran Lee flashed him a wry grin, kissed his sister on the cheek, and headed out the door without another word.

"Uh, what just happened?" Sokka asked, bewildered.

"My brother just entrusted his network of spies to us for the duration," she replied with a happy smile. "Isn't that wonderful?"

**The Palace**

Katara was grieving. Her child had been stolen from her, drained from her body like so much waste matter, and she hadn't even been able to perform a single funerary ceremony for him. Or her. While part of her tried to reason that it didn't matter, it wasn't a child she'd wanted in the first place, a half-blood born of rape, the rest of her knew that it did matter. She'd grown to love the baby, and she knew Zuko had too.

Zuko. Did he even know of the loss they now shared? Knowing his evil sister, she hadn't wasted any time in taunting him with the news. Katara knew he was locked in the dungeons awaiting his father's judgement; Azula certainly was happy to share that news with her the few times she'd deigned to look in on her.

The only other person Katara had seen in a week was Li or Lo, who turned out to be two women. The one who'd administered the first dose of tea that had started the process of destroying her child had been Li; the one who'd held Katara while she wept uncontrollably when the deed was finished had been Lo, who'd murmured words of sympathy and comfort. "We live or die by the Fire Lord's whim," she'd said when Katara demanded an explanation for why they'd done such a horrible thing to her. "My sister…somewhat more enthusiastically than others." By "others" she'd meant herself, and Katara had taken a small measure of comfort in the woman's sympathy, which rang true to her. Li, on the other hand, was someone she would happily kill.

Just as soon as she killed the Fire Lord, of course.

That goal hadn't changed in a week, and probably wouldn't change if she had to wait a lifetime to fulfill it. And in order to meet that goal, she spent any time alone practicing something Kya had tried to teach her, an ability she'd shrunk from even the thought of at first, but now welcomed as the weapon it was.

Bloodbending.

She'd tested it on herself without hesitation once she realized it was the only way she'd ever be able to kill Lord Ozai; she was never given water without close supervision, even to bathe herself. Fortunately Lo was in charge of those times, and made sure there were female guards in the room rather than male. It was a small concession to modesty, but it helped.

She tested it out on them as well, as subtly as she could manage, causing them to stumble into one another when leaving the room. They gave each other odd looks but neither of them thought to check on Katara, so no one saw the tiny, satisfied smile she allowed herself when it worked.

A week wasn't nearly enough time to perfect something she'd practiced in the past only reluctantly, and not at all since Kya's death, but it would have to do. As soon as Li and Lo pronounced her recovered enough, she would be presented to the Fire Lord like a tasty meal, cleaned and primped and dressed in fine silks. Lo had been the one to warn her of this upcoming ordeal as the week progressed; she had, at best, three more days before Li came to take her away.

Three more days to learn how to do more than simply manipulate the blood in Ozai's veins and make him move as she wanted him to.

Three more days to perfect her ability to stop the flow of blood to his heart.

Three more days would have to be enough; she would never let him touch her.

And after? As far as she was concerned, there would be no "after." She would probably be put to death even if she didn't succeed in killing him. Her only regret was that she wouldn't be able to do anything to save Zuko, that he would most likely suffer for her act of vengeance. She hoped he would understand why she'd done it, that he wouldn't die cursing her. That was such a long way from where they'd started that it made her smile. A grim smile, but a smile nonetheless. If she could find a way to kill Ozai and free his son, she would, but she hated the Fire Lord with such an intensity that even the thought that her actions would bring punishment on Zuko wasn't enough to cause her to give up her plans for revenge, tinged with that single regret though they might be.

Ozai had killed their baby and he was going to die for that act, plain and simple.

**oOo**

Zuko paced. It was all he could do, pace and think, interspersed with furious periods of the limited exercise his cell afforded him; pull-ups on the overhead bars, pushups with his feet braced on the side bars, close-in Firebending moves. Without the fire of course; the first time he'd shot a fire ball at the wall in frustration he'd found himself surrounded by guards, hands at the ready, eager to remind him, as if the cell wasn't enough, that he was a prisoner and that they could use whatever means they deemed necessary to keep him from harming them.

After that, he simply went through the moves, building his reserves and biding his time.

He'd been locked away in this cursed cell for a week, a full week, with no visitors other than his "loving" sister, keeping him posted on Katara's recovery, speaking solicitously but staring at him through eyes hot with triumph. He'd almost lost control and attacked her on more than one occasion, but managed to rein himself in at the last minute. He was sure he wasn't imagining the flashes of disappointment in her eyes each time he managed to regain control of himself; she _wanted_ him to attack her again, he could practically feel the desire burning from every pore in her skin.

And what Azula wanted, he would never give her. Ever.

His father, on the other hand…Zuko spent many hours considering how to attack his father once he was brought forward for "judgement". Whatever he did, successful or not, would no doubt have grave consequences for Katara, but even though he spent a great deal of time in anguished doubt, fretting over how much her situation might worsen, he knew that ultimately his father—and his sister if he could manage it—had to pay.

Ozai had killed their baby and he was going to die for that act, plain and simple.

* * *

_A/N: Believe it or not, we are nearing the end of this dark saga. There will be death and destruction, but there will also be hope (again, believe it or not) and love. Thanks for hanging on even though I've been taking waaaayyy too long between chapters._


	29. Everyone Has an Agenda

**The Palace – Three Days Later**

Another day passed, then another, and suddenly three days had gone by. Li made an appearance for the first time since Katara had stopped being forced to drink the bitterroot tea, ordered the guards to strip her to the skin and hold her still while Li gave a detailed and humiliating inspection of her body, including probing with her skinny fingers in places no one had any right to touch. Katara bore it stoically, knowing what it meant. If she declared fully healed from having her child stolen from her body, she would be taken to the elaborate bathing and preparation chambers as soon as Lord Ozai indicated he wanted her.

She was determined to remain stoic, to keep herself under control, tried to appear defeated and frightened and meek and no threat whatsoever. She stopped trying out her Bloodbending on anyone but herself, just in case someone made the connection between their sudden attack of clumsiness and her abilities as a Bender; Kya had told her that Bloodbending was a well-kept secret of the Northern Water Tribes, that even Azula hadn't known about her slave's powers over the very fluid running through her veins, but it never hurt to be circumspect.

The only way she wanted anyone to find out about her Bloodbending ability was when she stopped the flow of blood to Ozai's heart. She dearly wanted to see the expression on his face when she told him she was responsible for his death.

"She's healthy," Li pronounced, the words not unexpected. The old woman looked up dispassionately from where she knelt before Katara. She couldn't help but notice that Li retained her usual arrogant, almost regal bearing in spite of the subservient pose.

Bitch.

"So I'm healthy," Katara said as Li rose to her feet, taking grim amusement at how slowly the old woman did so, even when she grasped Katara's knee in a painful grip in order to lever herself to a standing position. "What now, you dress me in slutty Fire Nation clothes and drag me off to Ozai's tender mercies?"

The words seemed to pop out of her mouth on their own, startling her as much as they enraged Li.

Her eyes narrowed in anger, Li swung her hand upward and gave Katara a resounding slap. "You will speak of the Fire Lord with respect in your voice, peasant!" she snarled. "If I ever hear you speak of him in so vulgar a manner again I will see that you are taught a proper lesson."

"As long as a proper lesson doesn't damage the goods, right?" Katara replied, her voice taunting in spite of the tears of pain that had sprung into her eyes. What was her problem? She'd resolved to be good and docile and do as she was told so no one would suspect she had any fight left in her, then her mouth seemed to run on in defiance of her mind.

Li's eyes narrowed further, but before she could say anything a new voice spoke up from the doorway. "Good, she still has some fire in her in spite of her icy upbringing."

It was Lo, her voice sounding so alike and yet so unalike her sister's. "You know that's what the Fire Lord prefers, Sister," she added when Li turned angrily to look at her. "Else he would have ordered her broken before this."

"True enough," her twin conceded, nodding curtly for the guards to release Katara's arms. "Clothe yourself," she ordered, turning her back on the Water Bender and striding for the door. "Lo, see that she's ready for the Fire Lord's attentions as soon as he sends for her." Then she and the guards were gone, and Katara sank to the floor on suddenly trembling knees, covering her face with her unbound hair.

She ignored Lo's gentle touch on her shoulder, signaling that the room had emptied of all but the two of them, concentrating hard on getting control of herself, almost not hearing the soft words Lo was speaking to her until a familiar name caught her attention. "What? What about Zuko?" she demanded, looking up sharply.

"I said, if you like, I can bring you to see him tonight," Lo repeated, still speaking in that soft, even voice. "But only for a short time, very short. My son is on guard duty, he will look the other way if I do this only once and if no harm comes of it."

Katara tried to keep the hopeful expression off her face, but felt her lips trying to twitch themselves into a smile anyway. "When?" she demanded, heart pounding in anticipation. She'd honestly expected never to see Zuko again; this was like a gift from the Spirits.

"Just after midnight," Lo replied, not bothering to hide her own sympathetic smile. "You should have the opportunity to say good-bye to each other."

Those simple words felt like knives through her heart, but Katara merely nodded and rose to her feet at the older woman's urging. "Rest," she said, leading Katara to the bed. "I will come for you when it's time."

"Thank you," Katara whispered, reaching up to catch Lo's hand in her own. She looked down and smiled again, gently squeezing the younger woman's hand before disentangling her grip and walking toward the door.

Katara watched her go, waiting until the door shut softly behind her before turning on her side and facing the bare stone wall. "Tonight," she whispered, feeling tears trying to form in her eyes and resolutely blinking them away.

Tonight.

**oOo**

"Won't people think it's weird that your brother left town just when a houseful of guests showed up?"

Ty Lee gave Sokka a pitying look. "You've never had distant relatives just descend on you from nowhere, have you." At his negative shake of the head, she elaborated: "Trust me, whenever the country cousins show up, it's pretty common for the town folks to suddenly realize they have urgent business elsewhere and offer up the house and servants for them to use during their visit. Besides, my brother's known for being really antisocial. Believe me, it won't be a problem."

Sokka shrugged. "OK, if you say so." His voice implied doubt but he appeared wiling enough to dismiss the subject. "So, what's next? You have a brilliant scheme for getting into the palace and rescuing my sister?"

"And Prince Zuko," Ty Lee added, ignoring his frown. "Well, actually, I was kind of hoping you could help out with that part." At his disbelieving look, she felt a slight blush spread over her cheeks. "Sorry, but Mai was always the planner in our partnership. I'm really good at a lot of things, but strategy isn't one of them."

"It got us this far," Aang piped up encouragingly from his seat across the room.

Sokka sighed inwardly. "Do you at least know the layout of the palace well enough to draw us some kind of map so we know what we're up against?"

"I'm sure that between us Ty Lee and I can get you what you need," Iroh said. He sounded confident, but Sokka privately had his doubts. The old man hadn't been in the palace for decades and Ty Lee had just as good as admitted she wouldn't be much help.

They'd been in town for three days now, and Ran Lee and his entourage had left only that morning, after ostentatiously making his excuses to various friends and colleagues with whom he'd had social engagements or meetings in town.

No one was left in the house but the "country cousins" and what Ty Lee assured them was the best network of spies outside the palace.

That, in fact, was the only drawback; Ran Lee had no spies _inside_ the palace, where they really needed them. He'd relied on his sister's connection to the Princess for any information he'd needed, and she in turn had given him anything he asked for…up to a point.

Fortunately for both of them he'd never gone beyond that point, from information gathering into treason. She still felt she hadn't crossed that line, even by bringing the Avatar and the disgraced Lord Iroh not only to the Fire Nation but deep within the capital. Lord Ozai was power hungry and Azula was just like her father and that kind of mind-set really wasn't what Ty Lee or any other reasonable human being would consider in the best interests of the world.

That thought brought her up short; when had she started thinking about the good of the world instead of the good of the Fire Nation? Never, she decided. It was just that she'd suddenly realized that what was good for the world was good her own nation as well. It was just that those in charge hadn't made that connection as of yet. Maybe what Ozai and Azula and the generals and admirals needed was to be tossed off a sinking ship and left to fend for themselves while caring for a wounded Water Tribe chieftain.

Said Water Tribe Chieftain had raced out of the room to find parchment and writing implements that any one of the many servants hovering around trying to pretend they weren't curious about what was going on could have gotten for him. She shook her head and sighed, but it was a happy sigh. Sokka had seemed so dour and grumpy when she first met him; it was nice to see his true personality peeking through more and more the closer they got to rescuing his sister.

Suki frowned, just the slightest bit, as Ty Lee went past her. Humming. What in the name of the Spirits did that girl have to hum about? Well, besides sleeping with Sokka, which Suki was pretty sure they were doing now that they had private bedrooms instead of having to share a tent with just about everyone in the world.

Well, maybe not that many people, but it sure felt like it at times. Not that they were a bad bunch to travel with, but it was certainly the most eclectic group of people Suki had ever spent time with. It had opened her eyes to a lot of things—like the fact that people appeared to be pretty much the same no matter where they came from. She'd never really considered it before, having spent so much of her life blindly hating The Enemy that was the Fire Nation and its many red-garbed, faceless, and seemingly mindless soldiers.

Still, she couldn't lose sight of the big picture, just because she realized that the Fire Nation was made up a variety of individuals with a variety of outlooks on life and the war, just like at home. She was here, in the capital city, and she'd arrived within days of her targeted time frame. Days ahead, rather than days behind, as she'd begun to fear when she'd first started this desperate journey.

Far from slowing her up, as she'd feared they would, traveling with "Kiki" and Sokka had actually sped things up quite a bit. Never in her wildest dreams had she imagined stumbling into such a diverse pair, nor that they would get her to her destination with what amounted to relative ease. The Spirits must truly be blessing her mission; she wouldn't have to worry about missing the deadline to find her contact and pass along her message.

She had no idea what that message meant, nor did she care. She'd been assured by the General of the Kyoshi Warriors herself that it was vital to the war effort—and that, if it arrived in time, it might even help to finally bring the war to an end.

That was a goal worth achieving. If she ever had children, Suki wanted them to be raised in peaceful times, the way her great-great-great grandmother had been raised, or so family legend would have it. Sometimes she felt that the war had gone on for much longer than the hundred years history recorded.

Sokka bustled back into the room as she brooded over the unfairness of life, arms full of scrolls and followed closely by a servant carrying writing materials carefully balanced on a tray. Iroh thanked the man and took the tray from him, carefully setting it on the edge of the nearest table. The room boasted three, and Sokka had already dumped the scrolls on the largest one while Ty Lee pulled various knickknacks out from under them and piled them on the third table.

Toph and Aang were in the private walled garden, practicing their Bending; Ty Lee was gently teasing Sokka about his enthusiasm as he unrolled the blank scrolls, and Iroh was closely examining the various pots of ink and brushes available for this mapmaking exercise. Now was as good a time as any.

Without a word, Suki slipped out of the room and through the servant's entrance nearest the back of the house. No one was likely to see her at this time of day and even if they did, it wasn't as if they'd been forbidden to leaves the premises.

Suki knew approximately where she was going, and it would be simple enough to ask directions of some stranger once she was far enough away from the house to be unrecognized by any who might have seen her and the others arrive.

She had a contact to make; once her mission was complete, she would return to the house and make her excuses. Or, if she had further orders, she would fulfill them, with only the smallest twinge of regret at leaving behind those she now considered friends.

Her first loyalty was and always would be to the Earth Kingdom.

* * *

_A/N: At last, the next chapter. The one after this should come quicker as it's mostly written. And in response to the reviewer who wondered if there would be more sex: Yes. Just not yet. In about 2 chapters if I'm judging the length of the story correctly. Take heart!_


	30. Reach Out and Touch

**The Palace – Near Midnight**

Katara padded along on silent feet, although she felt as noisy as a herd of elephant-buffalo next to Lo's noiseless glide. She was covered from head to toe in a deep purple veil, to signify that she was in mourning and not to be addressed by anyone unless they had pressing reasons to do so. Or so Lo had explained it to her; she didn't care, as long as it meant she could see Zuko, to say good-bye and have even the briefest moment to mourn their loss together.

If, of course, he felt the same way she did. Just because he'd been willing to acknowledge their child, just because he'd expressed happiness and love and concern for it, didn't mean he wouldn't be relieved that his unexpected journey into fatherhood had ended so abruptly. Oh, she doubted he'd be happy at how the end had come about, but what if all he felt was relief?

Lo stopped in front of a sturdy metal door and opened it with a key she had hidden away in her voluminous skirts. She ushered Katara inside and carefully closed and locked the door behind them before taking up a lantern and hurrying down the narrow, chilly corridor that the door had hidden.

When they reached the end of stone hall, they were confronted by a second door, this one of solid metal with a small, barred window near head level—if you about six feet tall. Lo got up on tip-toe, gesturing Katara to stand behind her, and rapped a series of knocks on the door. Her head barely reached the window, but the shadowy face that appeared at the sound of her knock apparently saw enough to recognize her and the door opened on silent hinges.

Lo stepped into the room, Katara following when indicated to do so. She waited quietly while Lo held a whispered conversation with the guard—presumably her son—and handed him a cloth-wrapped packet that smelled delicious.

While she waited, Katara pondered her reasons for not just knocking the old woman over the head and leaving the palace in her mourning disguise. Of course, she might still have been stopped and had to make a run for it, but it wasn't fear of recapture that kept her docile. No, it was a combination of the desire to see Zuko one last time and her ice-cold focus on killing the Fire Lord. Escape was secondary to both those desires.

Besides, Lo had treated her decently, was going out of her way to give Katara the opportunity for this clandestine meeting, and probably at considerable risk to her self. Somehow Ozai didn't strike Katara as the type to forgive and forget even the smallest infraction.

"You have ten minutes. I'll be where I can watch but cannot hear. That is the most privacy I can allow you. You understand."

Katara nodded as Lo looked at her expectantly; she did, indeed, understand. Of course, if even the slightest opportunity presented itself, she would do whatever she could to free Zuko, as long as it wouldn't interfere with her own plans.

She hoped he'd understand. Taking a deep breath to steady her suddenly jangling nerves, she nodded and followed Lo through the next door, leaving her son to his dinner.

**oOo**

The door was opening. Zuko sat up alertly; it wasn't time for a meal and even his sister didn't usually bother with him in the middle of the night. Not that she'd mind interrupting her sleep to torment him, but so far she'd stuck to random hours of the day and evening to describe in loving detail what Katara was enduring, and what their father had planned for her.

"Of course, dear brother, that's all speculation on my part," she'd concluded her last visit by saying, voice oozing with false sympathy. "But you know our father; he'll be sure to make her time with him…unforgettable." Then she'd laughed and walked away, but he'd seen the disappointment in her eyes when he'd shown no reaction to her taunts.

Good. Azula disappointed was something he could live with.

As the door continued to slowly open, pushed by some unseen person, he felt a chill go over him; what if it was Azula, coming to tell him that Katara was with their father right now, this very instant? What if…

His frenzied speculations vanished in confusion as the door opened all the way and two female figures stepped into the room; Lo, the less harsh of the two old women who'd served the throne since at least his grandfather's time, and a figure cloaked from head to foot in a gauzy mourning veil. But the hands and feet, both bare of ornamentation, feet unshod on the cold stone floor of the dungeon, were unmistakably feminine in nature. "What do you want?" he grunted, determined to take the initiative.

"I?" Lo asked. "Nothing." She stepped back, behind the second woman, removing the concealing veils with a swift motion. "She is a different matter."

Zuko sucked in a startled breath as he recognized Katara. They locked eyes and stared at each other for a long moment before Lo gave Katara a gentle shove. "Go. You have ten minutes. I will wait for you in the hall. When I return, cover yourself again and come with me." Then she turned and walked down the hall, just far enough for Zuko to realize that if he and Katara spoke in low voices, they wouldn't be overheard.

Katara had moved forward only a step after Lo pushed her, but now she hurried to the steel bars separating Zuko from freedom. She reached her hands through the bars, and he took them in his, pressing feverish kisses to her knuckles. "Katara," he whispered, eyes still locked with hers. "I'm so sorry. So very sorry…"

She pressed a finger to his lips and shook her head. "Let's not waste our time together on apologies. I know you're sorry, I know you'll never forgive yourself, but you have to know that I forgive you, I accept all your apologies, and I want you to accept mine."

Zuko stilled. "For what?"

She glanced over her shoulder and lowered her voice as she turned back to face him, her fingers tightening on his. "For not being able to do anything to spare you punishment for…whatever happens when you father calls me to him."

He studied her face, seeing clearly the resolution and fear warring for domination in her expression. "You're going to kill him," he said.

She nodded. "And I'm sorry, because I know you'll be punished for it…"

It was his turn to press a silencing finger to her lips. "I understand. We both knew returning here wasn't going to lead to a happy ending for any of us."

He would have said more, but this time Katara silenced him by pressing her lips against his in a fervent kiss. She grasped the bars with her hands, body as close to him as she could manage, and he reached around as best he could to embrace her as he returned the kiss.

Time passed in a blur as they held onto each other as closely as they could. When Lo called out for Katara, she tightened her grip on Zuko for one desperate moment, then reluctantly stepped back and out of his embrace. They held each other's gaze as she backed out of the room.

The last thing Zuko saw was Katara's steely-eyed resolved as she closed the door silently behind her.

oOo

Katara walked in silence behind Lo, eyes on what she could see of the floor through her veiling when the older woman stopped and placed her hand on her arm. "We can remove this now," she said, whisking the veiling over Katara's head before efficiently bundling it up into a compact bundle. She then tucked the bundle under her ample skirts and pulled out a pair of sandals for Katara to put on her feet.

The sandals had a wedged heel and looked to be made of some kind of cloth-of-gold. She'd heard of such fabrics but never seen them up close. Nor had she ever expected to wear anything so gaudy and impractical.

She stooped to tie the straps around her ankles, then froze and looked up at Lo. "Where are you taking me?" she asked through stiff lips.

The older woman looked down at her compassionately. "You know," she said in a gentle voice.

"To see the Fire Lord," Katara replied, not needing to see Lo's nod to know she was right.

She rose to her full height. "What about 'preparing' me?" she asked, not bothering to hide her bitterness.

"We will run a brush through your hair and put you into the gown the Fire Lord has selected for you," Lo replied. "That is all the preparation you will need, since I know you have no intention of allowing him to touch you."

Katara's breath caught in her throat. "What do you…"

Lo raised a hand and Katara fell silent. "Please, do not try to dissemble. I may not know what you have planned, but I know you do have something planned. Whatever it is, I wish you luck."

She turned and started back down the corridor, not bothering to see if Katara followed her. After a moment's hesitation, the young Water Bender straightened her back and began walking.

Tonight she would have her revenge, and even if she didn't live to see the morning sun, she would make sure Ozai joined her in death.

* * *

_A/N: A tiny little Zutara moment before All Hell Breaks Loose (yes, that's a hint of what's coming up). I have the next two chapters and the epilogue sketched out, so there won't be long to wait. Thanks for being such great readers and reviewers for what I know has been a bit of a controversial storyline for many. My next Zutara story will be angsty but not nearly as violent as this one started out. Promise._


	31. Moment of Truth

The brush had been run through her hair and the gauzy gown—more of a filmy bit of nothing that would have made Katara blush had she been the naïve teenager she'd been before leaving the Southern Polar region—had been donned. The guards had been dismissed to stand outside the door to the short hallway leading to Lord Ozai's private chambers. Katara had been escorted to the bedroom door and left there by Lo, who had nodded impassively at the imposing wooden structure, heavily carved with scenes of Fire Nation battle triumphs. Katara refused to shudder; she merely straightened her back and raised her hand to knock as she'd been instructed. Just one, solid knock; if the Fire Lord did not respond, she was to wait quietly until sent for.

She snorted under her breath. Like _that_ was going to happen. She'd nerved herself for this moment and wasn't about to let it go to waste.

Just as she was about to knock a second time, in spite of her instructions, she heard a masculine voice call for her to enter.

This was it. Ozai would pay, her child would be avenged, and if the Spirits willed it, the next Fire Lord would be someone other than Azula. Even if that bitch did end up ruling, Katara had confidence in Aang. He was alive and well and learning so much, so quickly, that she had no doubt he would do as he was destined and finally bring balance back to the world.

It was just too bad she was going to have watch him accomplish all that from the Spirit Realm. Oh well. No plan was perfect.

She walked into the semi-darkness of the Fire Lord's private bed chamber, eyes darting about, taking everything in as quickly as she could before actually looking at the figure awaiting her near the foot of the bed.

She felt her breath catch in her throat as she finally met his gaze. She hadn't really taken in, in the hectic moments of her capture on the warship, how closely Zuko resembled his father in looks. A few more lines around his eyes, no scar, longer, darker hair…an older, harder, _colder_ version of how Zuko would look in twenty years.

If he were allowed to live that long.

"Come here."

Katara managed not to start at the sound of his voice, so like and yet so unalike his son's. She forced herself to move forward with a confident stride, face impassive, bringing herself in front of the Fire Lord yet just out of his reach. As he offered a triumphant smile and reached for her, however, she found herself baring her teeth in a snarl.

His smile deepened into a smirk. "Well, not so cowed as I was led to believe, eh? Good. You showed promise during your escape attempt." He stepped forward and grasped her chin in his hand, studying her face through cruel eyes. "Let's just hope you show as much spirit when I take you to my bed."

She jerked her chin out of his grasp and glared at him. He simply laughed and moved away, deliberately showing her his back as he shrugged out of the dark red robe he was wearing over his loose trousers. There were old scars on his back, and more on his chest when he turned back to face her. He dropped the robe on the foot of the bed—simple mahogany with red and gold bedding, elegant and tasteful, with the symbol of the Fire Nation carved into its headboard the only decoration aside from swathes of black satin draping each corner from ceiling to the dais that raised it above the floor. The bed he intended to…she cast the thought away. It would never happen.

Someone would die first, and she was determined he would be the first to go. She took a Water Bending stance, and he laughed aloud.

"Determined to fight me, are you, girl?" he asked, face and voice contemptuous as he studied her form. "Do you really think I'd bring you to a room with liquids in it for you to use?" He shook his head in mock sorrow. "A pity. I thought you were brighter than that." He sighed just as mockingly as he opened his arms wide as if offering for her to take her best shot. "Go ahead, Water Bender." His smirk changed to a derisive sneer. "Try and kill me. We both know you want nothing more than that."

She didn't hesitate, didn't stop to think or wonder or worry or allow the smallest worm of regret to burrow its way from her heart to her mind. She stepped forward, lunging into the stance Kya had taught her, crooking her fingers and making a sharp pulling motion toward her left side.

The sneer froze, then vanished as the Fire Lord lurched to one side as if Katara were a puppeteer pulling invisible strings to manipulate him. "Wh-what is this?" he roared in outrage as he stumbled to one knee, glaring up at her. "What evil magic is this?"

"Not magic," she corrected him grimly as she stepped backward. Just in case. She crooked her fingers again, this time pulling them downward in a raking motion, and Ozai moaned and clutched his chest. "Just Bending." She made sure to look him straight in the eye as she added: "Blood Bending."

The blood roared in his ears, blood that wasn't being allowed to reach his heart; his face darkened and he lunged forward, trying to call for his guards, to get his hands around her throat and squeeze the life out of the treacherous bitch, but his body refused to respond to his mind's frantic demands, and he fell to the floor, his last sight Katara's impassive face as she twitched her fingers in increasingly intricate patterns.

Then all went black.

**oOo**

It was after midnight before Sokka and Iroh declared a break. Ty Lee had fallen asleep on one of the room's many divans, while Aang and Toph were sharing a low-voiced conversation just across from her, sitting cross-legged on the floor together.

Sokka stood and stretched his back to ease it as Iroh bustled over to the tea things in one corner of the room, humming quietly as he warmed the stone beneath the ceramic pot with small flames from his hands. As he casually scanned the room, Sokka frowned as he realized someone was missing. "Where's Suki? Did she go to bed?"

"Fan Girl ducked out hours ago," Toph volunteered with a yawn. "Slipped out the side door when we were coming back in from the garden." She jerked her thumb at Aang, who nodded confirmation of her words. "Why? Does she have some secret palace knowledge you guys need for your map-making?" She offered up a sly grin. "Or is there some other reason you need to have her around?"

Sokka's eyes darted toward Ty Lee, who remained peacefully asleep in spite of the loud conversation going on around her. "No, just wondering," he muttered, sounding puzzled and annoyed. "Did she say where she was going?"

Toph tilted her head to one side and planted her hands on her hips in an exasperated pose. "What part of 'she slipped out the side door' didn't you understand?"

Before Sokka could do more than roll his eyes, Aang suddenly froze, feet planted solidly, arms outstretched. When Iroh started to ask what was wrong, he realized Toph had gone equally rigid and stared at the others in concern. Before he could open his mouth to ask the obvious question, Toph broke her sudden silence with a shout. "Brace yourselves!"

Before anyone could move, the ground shook and bucked beneath them like an unruly cart-beast, the walls trembled, and the roof fell in.

Then all was darkness.

**oOo**

Katara came to, body wracked with coughs from all the dust she was breathing. She hurt, oh La she hurt, every inch of her feeling battered and bruised, and when she tried to move, it was worse. Not because moving hurt more, but because she _couldn't_ move, she was trapped.

What had happened? Had she only dreamed that she'd killed Ozai, had he somehow learned of her ability to Bend blood and had her trapped in this dust-filled room, pinned beneath..what was she pinned beneath? She turned her head with painful slowness, trying to see and nearly panicking when she realized she _couldn't_ see. She calmed somewhat when her eyes caught a faint, silvery outline that must have been a window or opening of some kind. So she wasn't blind; thank the Spirits for that much.

As she focused on finding her center in order to calm herself to do whatever needed to be done to free herself, she knew that she hadn't dreamed her attack on Ozai. She'd been doing it, he'd been dying, his heart denied the blood it needed to beat, she'd been on the verge of watching him take his last breath when the world exploded, the ceiling fell in, and darkness had snatched her from the brink of victory.

What had happened? Had an Earth Bender somehow gotten close enough to the royal palace to attack, had it just been an earthquake? Either way, couldn't it have waited just a few more seconds, long enough for her to be sure that she'd killed Ozai?

Anger gave her the strength to heave some of the debris pinning her from her body, enough to free her legs and one arm. From there she managed to claw her way free, still coughing as she stirred up more dust. She shook her head as she wiggled out from under the last of the roofing tiles that covered her. She was still in the Fire Lord's bed chamber, and if she was there, then so was Ozai. And if he had also somehow managed to survive, she still had a job to finish.

When that was done, she'd find her way to the dungeon and see if she could find Zuko. This catastrophe, however it had come about, had given them a fighting chance to escape. She refused to believe that he'd been killed; he _had_ to be alive, had to have survived just as she had.

* * *

_A/N: Betcha didn't see THAT coming, eh? So, who else besides Katara is alive, and who didn't make it? Remember, at the start of the story I promised not to kill Sokka, but everyone else is fair game...insert evil chuckle here (Or everyone could be alive, guess you'll have to wait and see after Thanksgiving holiday is over for me!)_


	32. Search and Rescue

The view from the mountainside would have been breathtaking under any circumstances, showing as it did the entire capital city and palace. The fact that the entire city and palace complex appeared to be on fire, that there was lava flowing where no lava had flowed in thousands of years and that the buildings not on fire had collapsed into piles of unrecognizable rubble, robbed Suki of her breath in the most literal sense as she stared down at the devastation she faced. The devastation she'd been responsible for unleashing, simply by delivering a message. "What have I done?" she moaned, sinking to her knees in horror.

Her Earth Bending contact, Chan Li, looked across the burning city with an impassive face. "What was needed to end the war," he replied curtly. "Every major port, every governor's mansion and guard barracks housing over fifty soldiers, every city on the Earth Kingdom-Fire Nation border, if our people received their messages at the correct time, are facing the same sort of disaster."

"But we must have killed thousands of people!" Suki cried out, aghast. A sob ripped her throat, then another, and she was crying harder than she'd ever cried in her life.

"More likely hundreds of thousands," Chan Li countered, his voice showing not a hint of the horror and regret and guilt Suki was feeling. "Still, far less than have already died in this senseless conflict. An acceptable number of casualties." As Suki stared at him, aghast, he shrugged. "Far fewer people died today than would have if the war continued for another hundred years"

Suki struggled to find an answer for such a cold-blooded calculation. How could her own people have done this? Was this what they'd become, the monster-killers turned into monsters themselves? "Surely there was some other way," she protested angrily, tears continuing to stream down her cheeks.

Chan Li shrugged, indifferent to her concerns. "All in all, it was the most humane solution we could come up with."

She stared at him a moment longer, then rose to her feet and began picking her way back down the hillside.

"Where are you going?" Chan Li called after her. Finally, a hint of emotion in his voice: confusion.

"To see if our 'humane solution' means that my friends and the Avatar were part of the acceptable casualties," she called back over shoulder bitterly.

**oOo**

Aang coughed his way back to consciousness. His first instinct was to Bend the rubble away from his body, but he remembered he wasn't alone in the smoky darkness and stilled himself as best he could, listening for the others, praying that he wasn't the only survivor.

He caught the rhythm of Toph's heartbeat first, strong and steady, then stretched his senses to see who else he could "hear" around him. He sensed at least two others, possibly more, but hard to tell. A second fit of coughing interrupted his concentration, and he almost panicked at the difficulty he experienced in trying to catch his breath. Then he heard the faint sound of rocks shifting, but before his panic could blossom he felt a strong hand reach out and catch his wrist.

Toph had found him. He groped for her fingers with his other hand and squeezed her hand to let her know he was all right. Well, sort of all right. As all right as someone caught in a collapsing building after a devastating earthquake could be. Stupid volcanoes. He'd thought the Fire Nation capital was built on tectonically stable ground, but obviously he'd been wrong.

"You okay, Twinkle Toes?" Toph asked as his coughing fit ended.

He'd never been so glad to hear that stupid nickname in his life. "I think so," he replied, his voice hoarse. "You?"

"I managed to keep all the crap off me but I couldn't extend my little stone tent to cover you, sorry," she replied. "If you're up to it, we should clear the room and see how everyone else is."

"Right." He shifted, just a little, and found he could move easily enough, although his entire body ached as if—well, as if a room had collapsed on top of him. But nothing felt broken, thank the Spirits.

It was a matter of minutes for the two of them to clear the room of all debris, Bending it up and away from anywhere they detected a heartbeat. Astonishingly, not one person in the room had been killed: Iroh, Sokka, and Ty Lee were all alive. Unconscious, badly injured in Ty Lee's case, but alive. While Toph scouted the rest of the building to see how the servants had fared, Aang did his best to get the others settled onto what remained of the furniture before they woke up.

He took especial care with Ty Lee, who appeared to have several broken ribs as well as nasty gash on her scalp and a possible broken leg. Iroh and Sokka looked to have escaped with only minor scrapes and bruises, but there was no way to confirm anything until they all woke up—and a healer could be fetched.

Once he'd gotten them arranged to his satisfaction, Aang made his way to the main doorway. The exterior walls of the sturdily built house appeared to have survived the earthquake with only minor damage, at least as far as his Earth sense could tell. Good. Maybe Ty Lee's family home wasn't a total loss.

When he opened the door, however, any sense of hope he'd felt diminished as he took in the unbelievable scale of the destruction surrounding him. The entire neighborhood had been struck by the quake; when he rose cautiously into the air to see how widespread the destruction was, at first he thought he had to be imagining things. There was no way an earthquake could have destroyed the entire capital, could it?

When his mind finally accepted what his other senses were insisting was the truth—that the devastation spread as far as the eye could see from his airy perch—he knew that this couldn't possibly be the work of nature alone.

He drifted back to the ground and into the house, a grim expression on his face.

The Earth Kingdom had attacked, that was the only possible explanation.

**oOo**

Katara picked her way from Ozai's destroyed chamber. She'd been unable to locate any sign of the Fire Lord, and could only pray that he'd been killed, either by her Blood Bending or when the room collapsed on top of them. She couldn't waste another moment searching for his body; as soon as any surviving guards or soldiers could, they would come to make sure their leader had survived. If she was out of the room, she reasoned, no one would bother looking for her. And in the darkness and confusion, she should be able to make her way to the dungeon level and free Zuko.

If he was still alive to free. _Spirits, let him still be alive,_ she prayed as she stumbled through an opening that miraculously appeared in front of her. The doorway to Ozai's bedchamber had remained intact when the walls around it collapsed.

Large portions of the sturdy stone structure still survived, as she discovered when she cautiously made her way out into the hall. Stumbling figures ran past her, her ears were assaulted by the sounds of people screaming and wailing in fear, but no one even glanced her way as she continued downward.

The most damage actually seemed to be concentrated on the wing she'd just abandoned. Good; then maybe the dungeon levels were still safe.

Then maybe Zuko was still safe. She made her single-minded way ever downward, hunting for the corridor Lo had led her down to say what she'd truly believed to be her final good-byes to the Fire Nation prince. Now, fate had conspired in her favor for once. She wouldn't spit in the face of what could only be considered good fortune to the two of them by not searching him out.

**oOo**

The lava was rising. Zuko scrambled toward the bars of his prison, shouting for help he suspected was never going to come. He'd tried Bending the heated rock away from himself, but there was just too much of it to control; as soon as he managed to get a portion of it flowing away from him, more would bubble up from beneath the edges of the slowly disintegrating stone floor. At most, he'd bought himself a few more minutes before he succumbed to a slow, torturous death.

He spared a thought for Katara, spiraling a prayer to the Spirits that she'd somehow survived this disaster. But if she hadn't, he prayed equally hard that she'd died quickly.

He tried calling for help once again; once again, he was met by silence, silence broken only by the hissing and bubbling of the hot magma as it continued to seep inexorably toward him.

Then, like a miracle, the heavy metal door of his prison swung inward, revealing a slender figure in the dim lighting. Smoke poured into the cell and he heard coughing with a distinctly feminine tenor. The figure dashed closer, and he was stunned to see Katara racing toward him.

"Stay back!" he shouted, frantic to keep her safe from the influx of magma. He clutched the steel bars. "Katara, you have to get out of here! It's too dangerous!"

She peered at the floor, shuddering at the sight of the molten stone oozing red-hot directly toward Zuko's booted feet. "I'll be right back," she said, then vanished back the way she'd come, running full out.

He shouted after her to stay away, but his heart refused to give up hope. If she'd made it this far unmolested, then no one was guarding him, which was good. On the other hand, they probably hadn't left the keys to his cell lying around when they fled, so it was unlikely Katara would be able to find a way to free him before the slow-moving magma finally reached him. He turned to face it again, focusing intently on Bending it back the way it was coming, trying to buy himself enough time for Katara to do whatever it was she was going to do.

* * *

_A/N: Ah, so close now. Only a few chapters left. Sorry for the lengthy delays, but writers block and plot bunnies sometimes conspire to keep inspiration for one story at bay, even while they encourage the creation of others. So, please, even if it drives you crazy that I post other stories while you're waiting on this one, just let me know in a PM that you're impatiently waiting, rather than, say, leaving a "review" of another story that basically asks me to work on this one instead. I promise, I will leave no story dangling forever. Thanks for hanging in there and I hope you enjoyed this chapter._


	33. Aftershocks

Azula erupted from the rubble even as frantic hands tried to dig her out from beneath the remains of her once-sumptuous bed chamber. Her face was blood streaked and filthy, but only a blind man could miss the fury blazing from her eyes. "Who is responsible for this?" she screamed, staring wildly around at the destruction surrounding her.

The four handmaids glanced at one another uneasily; surely Azula wasn't blaming what was clearly the work of the Gods on human hands? But when one girl timidly offered that option, Azula dismissed it with a withering glare. "The Gods? Are you insane? No, this is the work of the Earth Kingdom. The only way the Gods figure into this is how those misbegotten dirt-grubbers will be begging them for help after my father and I get done with them!"

The handmaids shared another uneasy glance, and Azula's glare deepened. "What?" she snapped, pointing at the most timid of the four. "What is it?"

"It's the Fire Lord, Princess," she whispered, her hands fidgeting nervously with one another as she spoke.

"What about my father?" Azula hissed, moving across the uneven footing to stand directly in front of the obviously terrified girl.

"He—he—"

"He's missing, Princess," one of the other girls spoke up as her fellow handmaid faltered under Azula's glare. "They searched his chamber but couldn't find any sign of him or his companion."

Azula's eyes widened, then narrowed in renewed fury. "Then what are you doing wasting my time with all this chatter?" she demanded as she made her way what remained of her doorway. "Out of my way, you stupid cows. I have to find out what that Water Tribe slut did with my father!"

**oOo**

When Katara returned to the room containing Zuko's cell, less than a minute after she'd left, the magma flow had increased. Zuko was clinging grimly to the ceiling grid of metal bars with one hand, legs entwined around two of the vertical bars facing the cell. Katara had been hoping to find that one of the guards, who'd apparently fled their posts in the immediate aftermath of the quake, might have left his keys behind, but no such luck greeted her frantic efforts. The only weapon she found was a full jar of water. With a desperate thought of freezing some of the bars enough to shatter beneath the force of a blow, she carried it into the room with her.

"Katara!" Zuko called out from his precarious perch. With his free hand he was busy trying to Bend the increased flow of magma away from him, slow work at best—and ultimately futile. "Get out! It's too dangerous!"

His frantic movements inspired an insane idea. "Send the magma toward the bars!" she shouted, pointing to a spot just below and the right of Zuko's current location. "Make a hole!"

"How will I get through it?" he demanded, practical as always. A hole was well and good, but even a Fire Bender wouldn't survive crawling through magma. And there was no way, once he'd directed the flow forward, that he would be able to reverse it in time to save himself.

Katara held up the heavy jar. "I'll freeze the magma after it breaks through! You should have a few seconds before the heat overcomes the cold and the magma starts flowing again!"

It was a desperate plan, but it was their only chance, and Zuko recognized that fact. He only he would be fast enough to make it through the opening created by the magma flow. He nodded his agreement, took a deep breath, and prepared to make his move.

**oOo**

Suki picked her way through the destruction, grimly determined to find her friends and comrades. If they'd have her back, that is. She knew she had to confess her part in this or she'd never have peace with herself again. She'd grown up in the shadow of war, hating the Fire Nation with what she thought was an all-consuming passion, but compared to the hatred that brought about such destruction on such a massive scale, her hatred had been that of a child for another that taunts them at school; fleeting, easily forgotten as adulthood nears.

She wanted to blame the easing of her hatred on the fact that she'd been exposed to so much of the Fire Nation in her recent travels, that she'd observed firsthand how the people of that nation, the villagers and merchants and tavern-keepers were all just people trying to live their lives. Or that it was from her observations of the interactions between Ty Lee, the former Fire Nation agent who'd fallen head over heels for a humble Water Tribe chieftain and realized with the blossoming of that love how wrong her nations tactics had been.

She tried to tell herself that, but knew it wasn't entirely true. The Earth Kingdom agents who'd brought on this destruction had been living in the Fire Nation for years in preparation for this day. They'd seen the same villagers and merchants and tavern-keepers, the same children and young parents and grandparents, and had still held onto their hate enough to cause the destruction she now traveled through, step by painful step.

She wasn't even sure she was heading the right way, she'd been forced to change directions so many times. And there wasn't a single landmark that remained to tell her if she'd strayed too far from her destination. Still, she carried on with grim determination. She had to know if the Avatar was still alive, or if the world was doomed to another hundred years of war.

Because no matter what the Earth Kingdom strategists hoped, there was no way the Fire Nation would allow this attack to go unanswered.

Suki wiped the sweat from her brow and looked up to get her bearing once again, freezing in place as she thought she saw a human figure hovering above what remained of the city's roofline. Could it be—it had to be, there was no one else alive who could fly. With renewed hope, she carefully studied the landmarks she would need to memorize in order to reach her goal.

**oOo**

"No way."

Toph's flat denial of Aang's theory rang with conviction, but he knew no matter how much she didn't want it to be true, this devastation was the work of her countrymen. "Toph," he began gently, but she cut him, whirling to glare at him as if she could see.

"I said, no way!" she half-shouted, then lowered her voice when Ty Lee cried out in pain from her resting place on the one sofa that had managed to somehow survive the destruction of the house. Iroh patted her hand and offered her soft-voiced reassurances, then turned her over to Sokka's care and approached the two youngsters.

"Miss Be Fong, I regret to say that I agree with Avatar Aang's assessment of the situation," he said gravely, his use of their formal titles underlining the seriousness of the situation. "The volcano on which our city rests has been dead for many centuries; for it to revive now, without warning, is highly suspicious, as is the quake that precipitated its eruption." He took her reluctant hand in his. "You must believe me when I say I wish it weren't so," he added softly.

Sokka listened with half an ear to Toph's continued protests, although his private opinion was that she already half-believed it herself no matter how hard she tried to deny it. The rest of his attention was split between watching Ty Lee to make sure she didn't stir again and waiting anxiously for the servant they'd dispatched to seek help to return.

Iroh had picked his way to what remained of the kitchens and scrounged up food and tea for them to share. The servants, all of whom had miraculously survived, had been allowed to return to their own homes. The teenaged girl who'd gone to seek a healer had been an orphan, the only one who lived year-round in the house since she had nowhere else to go. She'd volunteered for the job, and Sokka for one believed her when she tearfully explained that Miss Ty Lee had always been kind to her.

For a girl who'd made her living as one of Princess Azula's killers for hire, she'd managed to make a lot of friends.

And Spirits willing, Sokka vowed silently as he placed a gentle kiss on her forehead, she'd live to make many, many more.

A noise at the room's entrance caught his attention, the sound of shifting stone beneath someone's feet. His eyes widened in surprise and relief as Suki made her hesitant way to the small group clustered near Ty Lee's sofa. "Suki! Thank the Spirits, you're alive!" he exclaimed with a welcoming grin.

The grin faded, however, as Iroh, Toph and Aang barred her from coming any closer. "Miss Suki," Iroh said, no trace of gentleness in his voice as he took a Bending stance. "I would greatly appreciate it if you would tell us exactly what you know about what just happened."

Sokka scowled. "Come on, Iroh, you know Suki's not a Bender," he snapped, rising from Ty Lee's side and pushing his way between the grim-faced trio. "Tell them, Suki. You had nothing to do with this."

She bowed her head. "I wish I could," she said in a low voice. Sokka met her haunted gaze and stumbled back a step in shock. "I truly wish I could."

* * *

_A/N: Another long hiatus, another chapter finally makes print. I had to split this one in two as it was becoming unwieldy; besides, this way the suspense is extended. Did Ozai really die? Will Zuko make it out of his cell alive? What will the Gaang think of Suki's confession? And will Ty Lee survive? Tune in next time, and remember to leave those reviews!_


	34. A Burning House

Katara swung her hands from her waist up to head height, watching carefully as the water flowed up from the jar and remained suspended in the air in front of her. Taking a deep breath, she concentrated on holding the water there as she waited for Zuko to redirect the flow of magma long enough to blast through the bars. It was a desperate plan, and she prayed to the Spirits to help them through.

Before he turned his attention to his part of the task, Zuko looked over at Katara and smiled. She managed a small smile back, the sweat beading on her forehead and running down her nose and cheeks. Then Zuko turned toward the magma and Bent a small stream of it toward the bars, cutting it off from the rest of the flow with difficulty, but managing to get enough of it through to melt the bars. Then Katara was in motion, directing the water toward the steaming bars, freezing it as it connected with the metal.

She forced herself to watch as Zuko swung himself through the narrow opening and tumbled to the floor, rolling to a stop practically at her feet. He wasted no time in pushing himself upright, grabbing her hand as he ran for the entrance. "Come on! After all that pushing I've been doing, the lava's probably gonna blow any second!"

They barely made it past the abandoned guard post before Zuko's prediction came true. The blast of heated air knocked them both off their feet; they scrambled upright and continued running without bothering to look back. There was no point; either they'd outrun the lava flow or they wouldn't.

The Spirits, however, were with them; they raced up the nearest staircase well ahead of the lava flow. The stopped at the top, gasping for breath as they turned to look behind them. A sullen, reddish glow was the only sign of the encroaching magma; good. "We need to get out of the palace," Zuko said, taking Katara's hand in his. "Ready?"

"As I'll ever be," she replied, then leaned forward to press a quick kiss on his lips. He kissed her back and smiled, reaching up to smooth her sweaty hair away from her face.

"How sweet," a familiar, sneering voice said from behind them. They turned as one, each taking a Bending stance as Azula stalked forward. "You found time to rescue Zuzu, but not our father?"

"Azula, the volcano's erupting," Zuko said, trying to reason with his sister. "There's nothing but magma on the level below, and it won't be long before it spreads and collapses the stones. We need to get out of here."

"Oh, one of us will be leaving," she replied. "But it won't be either of you."

Without another word, she sent a blast of fire Zuko's way. He dodged, barely, then flung a fireball at his sister. "Katara! Get out of here!" he shouted.

She wanted to stay and help, but knew that without any water, she was less than useless in this battle. Worse, by remaining, she forced Zuko to try and protect her as well as defend himself from Azula's attacks, and she wasn't about to force him to split his attention. There was another hallway to her right; she backed into it and ran as fast as she could. If she could find some more water, she could help. Or even if she could find her way behind Azula, she could distract her, hit over the head with something, trip her, anything to stop her from killing Zuko.

**oOo**

Sokka stared at Suki, eyes wide with shock. "You—you did this?" he asked, gesturing to the half-destroyed house.

She half-reached a hand to him, then let it drop to her side. "I'm not a Bender, I didn't have anything to do with the earthquakes," she said quietly.

"Yeah, but you were the one who set it all in motion, right?" That was Toph. Earth Kingdom, Earthbending Toph, who's voice was currently as hard as her element. No sympathy to be had there. "You brought the message, gave them the word, and wham!" She slammed her hands together. "No more Fire Nation capital."

"I didn't know what the message was, I just delivered it," Suki protested. "If I'd known what it said…"

"What?" Lord Iroh asked, settling himself wearily onto a pile of rubble that Toph had formed into a crude bench and suddenly looking so much older, as if the destruction had etched lines onto his face as well as tumbled buildings. "You wouldn't have delivered it? Or perhaps you would have warned us, tried to get us out of the city?" Surprisingly, there was no accusation in his voice, just a tired acceptance that was as painful to hear as the age in his face was now painful to face.

"I'm sorry," she replied, feeling the sting of tears in her eyes. She was loyal to the Earth Kingdom, felt compelled to defend them for this desperate action, but it was hard to maintain that loyalty in the face of so much destruction and pain. It didn't help that she knew the Fire Nation would have done the same to her people if it could; what was the point of fighting against them using their own tactics? Didn't that just make them all the same, in the end, not worth defending?

When she tried to articulate her jumbled feelings, Sokka snapped at her to shut up. "You did what you thought you had to do, the Earthbenders did what they thought they had to do, and maybe this means the war's over. Whatever. All I care about right now is getting help for Ty Lee."

"I think you'd better go," Aang said, nodding toward what remained of the door. "You did what you came here to do, and it would probably be best if no one found you here. Go home, Suki," he added in a gentler tone as she hesitated. "Take a message to your people from me, if you don't mind." She nodded dumbly, waiting to hear what he had to say. "Tell them the Avatar is here now, they've accomplished what they set out to do, now let me try and negotiate a peace before the Fire Nation gears itself up to retaliate."

She nodded again, looked longingly at Sokka, who was kneeling by Ty Lee's side and stroking the side of her face with one hand, then turned and picked her way out of the ruins.

**oOo**

Zuko was in a bad position, and he knew it, back to the staircase, magma cutting him off from retreat, and if he followed Katara down the closest hall, all he would do was lead his sister right to her. As for why she'd allowed the Waterbender to escape, well, he was sure she had her reasons.

Like possibly knowing that escape was already cut off in that direction, a fear that was confirmed as she smirked at him knowingly and said, "Well, it won't take her long to find the end of the hall's been blocked. So much for your little love story having a happy ending." She affected a surprised expression. "Oh, but that's right! Daddy already made sure your little family affair ended before a bastard half-breed could soil the bloodline, didn't he."

Zuko attacked without warning, without calling out for surrender or articulating anything so formal as an invocation of the Agni Kai. He attacked, she countered, he attacked again, calling upon reserves he never knew he had as she called out taunts and attempted to turn his temper against him, as she had so many times in the past when they'd pitted their skills against one another with far lesser stakes.

Azula's eyes narrowed in concentration as she realized her usual tactics weren't working. Perhaps she'd made an error in bringing up the brat he and his little peasant girl had made; she'd expected him to launch himself at her in a blind fury, but instead he was slowly but steadily gaining the advantage.

Her mind worked at light speed as she considered her options. Too bad they were indoors or she'd call lightning down on his ass. He'd never been able to learn how to ground himself properly.

Although she was only distracted for a second, it was enough. Suddenly Zuko was a fury of movement, slinging fire balls at her head and hands, keeping her on the defensive and moving backwards, one more step, then another…

…until suddenly her feet went out from underneath her as she tripped over the pile of rubble her brother had deliberately manipulated her toward.

As she lay on her back, staring up at him, she raised a sardonic eyebrow. "Well played, Brother. What's next, you tie me up and run off with your little peasant wench?"

Zuko stared down at her, no emotion showing on his face. "No," he replied stonily, then raised his arms and blasted her where she lay. "No mercy, you murdering bitch."

He walked away, scorched and limping, ignoring her screams as she burned behind him. He would do the same to his father if that bastard still lived as well. His child's spirit would rest easier knowing it had been avenged.

**oOo**

A dead end. "Damn!" Katara swore, slapping her hand against the massive pile of rubble blocking her way. So it was stand and fight no matter what. Very well. She straightened her shoulders and turned back the way she'd come. She wouldn't get in Zuko's way and she wouldn't reveal herself if he and his sister were still battling it out, but she would at least wait where she could hear what was going on and act if necessary.

The smell alerted her, the stink of charred human flesh strong even with the overriding smell of magma and smoke in the air. Katara choked and gagged and managed to hang onto her stomach's meager contents, but only barely. Her heart pounding in her chest, she ran around the corner, heedless of danger, wanting only to do what she could to avenge Zuko's death, even if it was just clawing out his bitch-sister's eyes.

She skidded to a disbelieving stop when she saw Zuko running toward her, relatively unharmed. "Katara!" he cried, pulling her into his arms and holding her tightly. "We need to get out of this death-trap. Now."

She didn't bother to ask what had happened to his sister, not when the smell was overpowering her again, causing her bile to rise in her throat. She forced it down a second time and breathlessly explained about the blocked corridor.

Zuko nodded grimly and took her hand in his, turning to lead her the other way. He hesitated only a moment before saying: "It's…pretty bad. Do you want to close your eyes and I'll-"

But Katara was already shaking her head firmly. "No, you don't have to lead me. If I haven't seen worse, I'm sure I will."

His heart swelled with a mixture of love and pride. This woman was worthy of any man, up to and including a Fire Lord. And if he ever attained that lofty role, he vowed silently, he would humbly ask her to share his future.

But that would have to wait for the future. Just because she no longer hated him, it didn't mean she felt the same way about him and wanted to share a future with him. And now certainly wasn't the time to blurt out a proposal.

Instead, he simply nodded and sidestepped his sister's stinking, charring corpse, not even giving it a second glance. Her entire life had been spent in scheming and clawing her way to the top, and for whatever reason, the Spirits had spared him such overweening ambition. Instead, he'd found love, and in such an unexpected place.

Only a fool would ignore that kind of a hint from the Spirits.

And once he and Katara were free of this mess, he would find the right words to convince her to stay with him, even if their child had been stolen from them.

* * *

_A/N: I know, I'm soooo bad. But here is the latest installment, and I hope it was worth the wait. Sorry, all, but I'm not very adept at fight scenes, but of course Azula had to die. Next chapter: we discover Ozai's fate and perhaps our two groups meet up. Perhaps..._


	35. Love Among The Ashes

**Ran Lee's House**

The healer arrived just as the first of what would turn out to be a record seven aftershocks hit the Fire Nation, some felt as far south as Kyoshi Island. While Aang and Toph worked to keep the remaining members of the household and staff from being further harmed, the older woman did her best to ascertain the depths of Ty Lee's injuries. When the ground finally stopped trembling and Toph had bounced the last of the bits of debris and rubble out through the gaping hole in the front wall, the healer pulled herself wearily to her feet. "There's nothing I can do for her," she said flatly. "If you love this woman," and here her eyes flickered briefly toward Sokka, "then I suggest you try and find some poppy-dragon juice and pour it into her if she regains consciousness. Otherwise she'll be in more pain than any person should have to endure."

When Sokka and Aang tried to protest, she raised her hand and shook her head, lips set in a thin line. "I'm sorry," she said curtly. "But she's far too injured to be brought to the hospital, even if it weren't half destroyed by this God's damned quake. I can set her broken bones but I can't even get my hands on decent bandages for her cuts and scrapes, and the internal injuries…" She shook her head for a second time. She softened her voice as she added: "I'm sorry. I truly am. But there are thousands and thousands of other victims out there, some of whom I might be able to help. But not her."

Then she turned and picked her way out of the rubble while the maid who'd literally dragged her to the house threw her apron over her head and began quietly sobbing.

Sokka remained on his feet, staring at nothing until finally something Aang had told him about his sister's friend Kya nudged his memory. She'd been a Waterbender. She'd been training his sister.

Waterbenders could heal injuries even doctors couldn't do anything about.

All he needed to do to save Ty Lee was to rescue his sister from whatever remained of the royal palace.

He turned to look at Aang. "You have to get me to the palace. Now."

**The Palace**

Katara and Zuko, like almost everyone else in the capital, had been taken completely by surprise by the strength of the first aftershock. Stumbling down an unblocked corridor, dodging falling stone and choking on dust, they'd finally sought refuge in one of the palace's many kitchens, now abandoned. Once the ground stopped shaking and the dust settled, they discovered that, incredibly, a fire still smoldered in one of the remaining hearths. Not that they were particularly cold, but it was comforting after so many hours clambering over tumbled walls and collapsed ceilings.

There was even an ample supply of water from a leaking pipe. Katara shoved a metal pan under it while Zuko scrounged for something for them to eat.

They were nibbling on a meal of fruit and dried beef sticks when the second aftershock hit and trapped them inside the room.

"It's completely blocked," Zuko confirmed flatly as he stepped away from where the door had once been and a huge pile of rubble now stood from floor to ceiling.

Katara simply nodded from where she sat huddled on the hearth. The flimsy gown she'd been wearing was little more than rags at this point, and Zuko's rich clothing wasn't looking much better. "Come have something to drink," she called out, gesturing toward the bowl of water. At least the leaking pipe wasn't clogged with dust or debris. Yet. She shuddered to think of what it would mean if the supply were cut off; who knew how long it would be before anyone found them?

Zuko picked his way carefully across the floor, sitting next to Katara with a defeated sigh. So much for the cold pleasure he'd taken in finally killing his sister. It hadn't been a particular ambition of his until she started taunting him about Katara, until she'd become a willing accomplice to their baby's murder, but even that victory was ringing pretty hollow right about now. He imagined he could hear her howling with laughter even from the pits of hell into which she'd surely been cast.

He felt movement next to him, and came out of his brooding long enough to realize that Katara was shivering. When he looked at her, really looked at her, he was shocked to see how little of her clothing had survived—and how much of her tanned skin was showing. Without thinking he placed his arm around her and pulled her to him, then reached behind them both and blasted a flame into the banked fire so that it roared to life. "Sorry, there's not much more I can do without fuel. But that'll last at least a few hours."

"Thanks." She wasn't pushing him away, as he'd half-expected her to; after all, if she was the "I told you so" type, now would certainly be the time for her to say it. This was all his fault, her being here, and no matter how intimate they'd become on board Azula's warship, no matter that she'd rescued him and told him she forgave him and kissed him good-bye, she could still very easily reject any attempts at comfort from him now.

As if she could read his mind, Katara suddenly spoke: "We have a bond, Zuko. Even though your father and sister tried to break it by murdering our baby, the bond is still there." She turned her head to look at him, and he was stunned and humbled by the raw emotion he saw in her eyes. "I don't want to die without telling you I love you."

Zuko sat, frozen with shock, for a long time. Too long, perhaps, since Katara made a restless movement and dropped her eyes. "Even if that's not what you're ready to hear…" she began, but he cut her off with a tender kiss.

"Katara, I can never apologize enough for the pain and sorrow I've put you through," he murmured when the kiss ended. He placed his hands tenderly on either side of her head, gently stroking her neck with his thumbs. "To hear you say that…I don't deserve your love, but I'm not stupid enough to turn it away. I can't say that I love you too, not with any real certainty." He made that admission with difficulty; he'd always found it hard to express his emotions, especially after his mother died, and he told Katara as much, haltingly, fumbling to explain, but this time she was the one to silence him with a kiss.

"You'll say it when you're ready," she said as she encircled his waist with her arms and snuggled closer to him. "I know you will."

The third kiss was considerably more heated than the first two had been, and neither could say for certain who started it. Zuko knew for a fact that the stirring of passion he felt had as much to do with Katara's declaration of love as it did with her barely clothed state.

There was nothing remotely resembling a soft surface for him to lay Katara down on, but he did his best with his clothing, which he removed from his body in record time. All Katara had to do was basically untie one string across her shoulder and the entire gauzy construct slipped to her feet, settling there in a soot-stained pool of red.

Their lovemaking was sweet and gentle at first, then quickly escalated. Afterwards, Zuko rested his head on her shoulder and held her tightly in his arms, feeling her fingers tracing the new scars on his back before moving to his face. "How?" she asked quietly as her fingers hovered above the older scar tissue surrounding his left eye.

His first instinct was to pretend he didn't know what she was talking about. His second instinct was to dismiss her question and avoid the topic, preferably by once again making love to her. However, he went with his third instinct, which was to tell her the truth, no matter how painful he found it. "My father. I disagreed with him publicly on policy and he challenged me to Agni Kai. I was fourteen."

He heard her suck in a horrified breath. "Your own father did this to you? He challenged you to single combat when you were still a child? What kind of monster..." Her voice trailed off as she realized what she was saying might be as painful for him to hear as his admission had been to make, but he kissed her to show he understood.

"You know what kind of monster he is," he replied softly. "You've seen it firsthand. And to think I actually believed that I needed to restore my honor by doing what he wanted me to!" Then he rolled off her and lay on the side away from the fire, staring blankly up toward the unseen ceiling. How could he have been so stupid, so deceived into believing such a thing? Honor was found within, Uncle could have told him that—and had, many times, although not in so many words. He'd been so blindly seeking his father's approval instead of realizing he had the approval of the one man in his life who truly mattered.

He wondered where Iroh was now, if he'd remained in Ba Sing Se as Zuko had commanded, or if he'd done what he usually did—disregarded what he considered to be foolish words and gone his own way.

Probably right back to the Fire Nation in search of his errant nephew. Right back into danger.

"You're not here right now. Where are you?" Katara asked. She'd nestled against his side, her head on his chest, and his arms had gone around her without his even realizing it, lost as he'd been in his own bleak thoughts.

"Dwelling on the past," he admitted. "Brooding about things I have no control over. As usual."

He felt her head move, felt the weight of her gaze as she studied him in the dim light. "And I put you there by asking about the scar. I'm sorry."

"Don't!" The word exploded out of him as he raised himself to a sitting position, and her with him. She stared at him, wide-eyed, as he continued, grasping her arms and staring at her with burning intensity. "Don't apologize to me, ever again! You've nothing to apologize for! I'm the one who should be down on my knees to you, groveling for your forgiveness for the rest of my life!"

Katara's lips twitched; to his surprise, she smiled up at him, a saucy, bewitching smile that brought an answering expression to his face before he knew it. "The only reason I want you on your knees before me," she said, her voice low and seductive, "is because you're about to do something wonderful with your mouth on my body." She was blushing as she spoke, and he felt an answering flush across his entire body, but not of embarrassment. Really? She'd let him do…that…to her?

Katara interrupted his thoughts with a kiss, her tongue flicking between his lips before she pulled back. "Maybe we should just stop apologizing to each other. We can still be sorry about what's happened, but maybe it's just time for us to move forward."

Zuko replied without words by offering her another tender kiss that rapidly turned heated. He laid them both back down, resting his body just above hers, his hands traveling from hip to shoulder and back again, raising gooseflesh beneath his touch. When Katara realized he was about to answer her half-serious challenge and do…that…to her…The look on her face must have been answer enough as he turned his attention from her nervous, speculative expression to her body.

Zuko smiled to himself as he felt her fingers tangle in his hair. He'd heard about this sort of love-making but never tried it before, which was nice. They could both experience it for the first time together.

And experience it they did, both finding a new pleasure together and a new way to enjoy one another's company.

A new way to be together. Exactly what they both needed.

**oOo**

The sound of rock moving woke them up some time later. After Zuko had pleasured Katara with his tongue, he'd been unable to resist the allure of driving himself into her while her nerves were still quivering, and had astounded them both when he'd brought her to a second climax minutes later. His own eruption had come soon after, and they'd fallen into a comfortable doze.

They scrambled back into their clothes as they realized the sounds could only be one of two things: a slow rockslide further trapping them, or a rescue attempt. Although how anyone could possibly know they were there…

An opening appeared in the midst of the pile of rock that had once blocked the room's only entrance, and a face appeared. "Toph?" Zuko said disbelievingly.

The face disappeared, replaced by the sound of Toph yelling to someone: "Yeah, they're here, both of them." Then her face reappeared, decorated by a smirk he could recognize even in the dim lighting. "Told you I heard them." Then her voice lowered as she added: "I waited till you were finished, by the way. Could've had you out of here an hour ago. You can thank me later."

Then the opening widened, but instead of stepping into the room, she moved aside to allow someone else to enter.

Katara's brother, Sokka.

* * *

_A/N: Things happen in real life than can set you back, but in order to grow you need to move past them and face the future. My grandfather passed away on April 28 after a brief illness. He was 95 and lived a long, full life. He'll be missed. And now I'm ready to write again. There will probably be at least three more chapters but not much more than that. Thanks for reading and being so patient with me._


	36. Worlds Collide

**oOo**

"Sokka! You're alive!" Katara flew into her brother's arms, holding him in a tight embrace, tears streaming from her eyes. "Thank the Spirits!"

He returned the hug one-armed since he was holding a torch in one hand, but his eyes were on the Fire Nation prince who stood stiffly by the hearth. The air in the room must have been pretty stuffy, because even the air flowing through the entry Toph had made wasn't enough to dispel the stink of sex that lingered.

The bastard had been trapped with his sister, and all he could think to do was satisfy his lust on her? Even after he'd already gotten her pregnant? All thoughts of being reasonable and letting Katara tell him how she felt flew out of his head on a growing tide of rage.

Before Sokka could blurt out the challenge that was building on his lips, Katara pulled away from him, warned by the sudden tension in his body that something was wrong. "Sokka? Are you all right?" Before he could answer, she added in a rush: "Azula's dead."

That caught his attention. "Dead? How? Did you…"

She shook her head and glanced back at Zuko. Even in the near-darkness Sokka could see the way her gaze softened when her eyes met those of the man he still thought of as the enemy, although clearly Katara had had a change of heart. "Zuko. She attacked us, I had no water, and he killed her." Then she turned back to face her brother, her expression turning hard. "She and the Fire Lord, they…" She seemed to choke on the next words, and Sokka watched as Zuko made a sharp movement, as if to reach out to her, stopping only when his glance met Sokka's.

"What did they do?" he growled when Katara seemed unable to continue.

"They made you lose the baby somehow, didn't they." That was Toph, speaking softly, haltingly, as if she, too, wanted to choke back the words. "I don't hear its heartbeat."

Katara nodded, tears once again welling from her eyes. "It was awful," she said, her voice even lower than Toph's. "The worst thing that's ever happened to me." She reached out blindly, and this time Zuko stepped forward and took her hand in his, returning Sokka's outraged glare with a level glance that spoke volumes; he had no intention of being drawn into a fight with Katara's brother.

Not that that stopped Sokka from opening his mouth. "To you, maybe." He jerked his head at Zuko and sneered: "I'll bet loverboy here never even twitched an eyelash. I'll bet he was glad they got rid of his unwanted bastard for him!"

WHACK! The half-destroyed room echoed with the sound of Katara's slap. Eyes blazing, she glared at her brother. "Don't say that!" she shouted. "Don't ever say anything like that again, Sokka! He wanted this baby as much as I did!"

Sokka glared right back at her while Toph backed out of the entrance. Only Zuko noticed the sound of her feet as she ran down the hall. To do what? It didn't matter, only the brewing fight between Katara and her brother mattered, and he had to stop it before it escalated any further. "Katara. You don't need to defend me. All Sokka knows is that I raped you and got you pregnant." He looked the young Water Tribe Chieftain squarely in the eyes. "He doesn't know how much I regret losing control of myself like that, and even though I'm telling him now, I can see he doesn't believe me, doesn't see how sorry I am. But I hope he can at least believe this; I did want our child, I acknowledged it publicly in front of dozens of witnesses, and on my honor, I would have raised that child proudly, if Katara let me be part of its life."

"I rescued Zuko from a dungeon that was filling with magma." Sokka swung his astonished gaze over to meet his sister's angry blue glare. "Would I do that for a man I hated? Yes, he raped me, but Spirits, Sokka, haven't we all done things during this war we've regretted? Things we'd never do under normal circumstances?"

Sokka's cheeks burned with shame as he remembered how he'd taken Ty Lee hostage in order to use her to trade for his sister, how he'd threatened to kill her and how so many of the sailors on her vessel had died during their brief battle.

Ty Lee. The whole reason for this desperate search came back to him in a rush. "We have to get out of here," he said in sudden urgency. How could he have allowed himself to be sidetracked by his sister's twisted love life? "Ty Lee, she might die, they said you learned more Waterbending from your friend, did she teach you how to heal? Because you're the only one who might be able to save her," he finished in a rush, the words tumbling over themselves.

"Azula's assassin?" Katara asked, just as Zuko demanded: "Ty Lee's alive?"

"Long story, no time right now, except that she saved my life," Sokka replied to his sister, ignoring Zuko for the moment. And trying his best to ignore the fact that he'd allowed himself to forget Ty Lee's dire predicament in the heat of the moment.

Just then Toph ran back into the room, followed immediately by Aang. When Katara went to hug him, Sokka grabbed her free hand, the one she'd just slapped him with, and tugged on it. "Katara! Can you help her?" he demanded, desperation clear in his voice and eyes.

"I don't know, Kya taught me some healing, but…" That was enough for Sokka. With a final glare for Zuko, he started pulling his sister by the hand, urging her toward the new opening. "Aang! There you are! Did you find a quicker route to the roof?"

This was the Sokka Katara remembered, in control and barking out orders, not losing his temper and starting a fight in the middle of a disaster. Still, she knew the situation between herself and Zuko was far from resolved in her brother's mind. But it would have to wait until she'd either healed Ty Lee—who'd somehow saved her brother's life, Azula's assassin, what was up with that?—or didn't.

While Aang hurriedly explained the safer route he'd found, Katara gently freed her hand from Zuko's warm grasp, since it was clear her brother wasn't about to let her go. She flashed an apologetic smile over her shoulder, but Zuko merely shook his head and gave a half-smile of his own to show that he understood.

"Take Katara," Sokka ordered as Aang finished. "Don't wait for us, just take her and fly her back to the house. Toph will dig us another path through the debris if she has to. Just go."

Aang hesitated, his gaze flicking between Sokka and Zuko. Both of whom correctly identified his concern. "Don't worry, I won't kill loverboy here," Sokka said bitterly. "Not yet."

"Stop calling him that," Katara muttered under her breath as Sokka transferred her hand to Aang's.

Sokka hesitated a moment before saying softly: "Katara, I'm sorry you lost your baby." She flashed him a tearful smile, then kissed him on the cheek and allowed herself to be pulled along, sparing a fleeting look at Zuko, who nodded firmly and made a pushing motion with his hands to speed her along. Then she and Aang vanished into the darkness.

Leaving Sokka and Toph alone with Zuko. Great. Without looking at their unwanted third, Sokka said: "Come on. Let's go."

"Your uncle's fine," he heard Toph reassuring his High and Mightiness as they made their way down the hall. He snorted to himself. Really? Even Toph was willing to treat Katara's rapist like a human being instead of the Firebending monster he was? Just because he'd convinced his sister that he cared about her, Sokka wasn't falling for it.

It had to be a trick. Even if loverboy had really killed his own sister, it was probably more to do with a struggle for the Fire Lord's throne than it was out of revenge for losing a half-breed bastard. Yeah, Fire Nation babies that were born to Water Tribe victims were treated just like any other baby, but that was home, where people were people and not just lust-crazed murderers.

_Like Ty Lee?_ An inner voice taunted him as he trudged along through the wreckage, sword in one hand, torch in the other. _She was one of Azula's assassins and now you're fighting to save her life._

_Because she saved mine,_ he argued back, even as he kept his eyes focused on the path ahead, straining to see any signs of movement. An ambush could come from any clear direction, he was in the Fire Lord's _palace_, for Agni's sake, and here he was arguing with himself. Stupid.

_Just as stupid as pretending that Ty Lee is the only person from the Fire Nation capable of change,_ that inner voice pointed out. _What about Lord Iroh? If the Dragon of the West can turn out to be an honorable man, why not his nephew?_

_Because Iroh didn't rape my sister and get her pregnant,_ he reminded himself savagely. That seemed to shut his inner voice up, and he navigated another pile of rubble, not bothering to turn and check on the others' progress. Toph could "see" just fine with all the stone beneath her feet, and he could care less if loverboy made it out with them.

Once Ty Lee was safe and they had some time to catch their breath, he'd convince Katara that she was wrong, that she'd made a mistake, and they'd ditch the prince and leave this Spirit's forsaken kingdom once and for all.

Things would be just fine once they made their way back home.

**oOo**

Katara was flying. It was terrifying and exhilarating at the same time. Oh, she'd ridden on Appa's back once or twice, but this wasn't the same. The only thing between her and the ground was Aang's firm grip on her, and she had to trust he was strong enough to carry her. At least it wasn't that far from the palace to Ty Lee's family manor; still, they had to dodge gouts of flame and the smoke that seemed to rise from every part of the city.

Once they landed, Katara turned and offered Aang the hug she'd been denied upon first seeing him, alive and well, back in the palace. He kissed her shyly on the cheek when the embrace ended, his gray eyes serious in spite of the smile on his face. "I'm so glad you're alive, Katara," he said, and she smiled back at him as he folded his glider and led her to the room where Ty Lee lay fighting for her life.

"Me too," Katara replied. "Glad you're alive, I mean, although I'm also glad I'm alive."

Then all conversation stopped as she stepped into the room. Lord Iroh rose to greet her, offering a quick squeeze of the hands and a relieved but weary smile before bringing her to Ty Lee's side. Aang showed Katara where the small collection of urns of water they'd scavenged sat, near the unconscious girl's head, then he and Iroh moved away, to give her room to work.

Katara studied the wounded girl. She'd been one of Azula's closest allies, if not a friend, an assassin who partnered with that bitch, Mai, and was no doubt responsible for many deaths on her own. Still, she owed it to her brother to save her; if he felt she was worth saving, then she was willing to take his word on it.

Even if he wasn't willing to take her word on Zuko's worthiness.

She squashed that thought ruthlessly; now was not the time to allow resentment and misunderstanding get in the way of doing what she knew to be right. Aang had spent two years trying to convince the people of the Water Tribe that had taken him and protected him that all life was worth saving, that no killing was justified, with mixed results at best. Sokka had rejected that idea as childish and naïve, and Katara had allowed herself to be swayed to a certain extent, but had never fully embraced that ideal in her heart.

She still wasn't sure she fully agreed with Aang, but in this case, this one case, she wanted to save the life of her former enemy, not only for Sokka's sake, not only because it was the right thing to do, but to prove to herself that she could be as forgiving as she wanted others to be.

Dipping enough water out of the urn to glove her hands, she put her head down and set to work.

**oOo**

Toph wouldn't stop chattering, no matter how many times Sokka tried to shush her, to remind her they were deep in the heart of enemy territory.

"Everyone's too busy worrying about themselves to bother with us," she'd finally snapped, stamping her foot the third time he tried to get her to shut up. She'd been in the middle of filling Zuko in on everything that had happened since he left to trade himself for Katara, and had had it with Sokka's interruptions. "Just keep walking, Bigmouth. I promise I'll be able to sense anyone trying to sneak up on us." She stamped the floor again for emphasis, this time deliberately raising some blocks of stone beneath his foot and putting him off balance.

He'd glared at her—uselessly—then turned back to picking a path through the rubble. Although he tried not to listen to Toph, he couldn't help hearing how she and Aang had snuck up on his camp, trapped Ty Lee and Suki to make sure he wasn't a prisoner. He winced as she deliberately raised her voice to relay his reaction to the news that his sister was pregnant, and winced again as she went into loving detail about how forgiving he was of Ty Lee even though she was Fire Nation and an assassin to boot.

Spirits, why wouldn't she just shut up? He could hear nothing that Zuko said in reply, on the deeper murmur of his voice asking questions or prompting Toph to explain something in more detail. Which was just as well, since he was still ready to just murder the bastard and get it over with. Hell, he'd even find him a sword, since Toph had already told him at some point that that was the prince's weapon of choice.

Of course, there was no guarantee the treacherous bastard would fight fair, that he wouldn't just conjure up some fire and burn Sokka to death. So battle would have to wait.

With that depressing thought, they reached the ground level of the palace, the entrance to which he'd carefully marked with a Water Tribe glyph traced out in ash. He turned to shush Toph only to realize she'd already fallen silent, and waited in an Earthbending stance next to Zuko, whose own arms were raised and ready to attack, should it prove to be necessary. Sokka begrudged giving him credit for preparedness, especially since he was still half-convinced he'd betray them the first chance he got, but if he'd let them live this long then maybe he wasn't going to do anything against them.

Or maybe he was just waiting for allies. Sokka heard Toph's shouted warning and ducked as a fireball flew past his ear and slammed into the wall behind his head.

He dropped into a crouch, sword at the ready, and dodged behind a pile of rubble, intent on backing into the stairwell he'd just vacated, but a sheet of flame behind his back sent him stumbling forward instead. _I knew it!_ he screamed inwardly. _I knew that bastard would betray us!_

Then he was forced to focus completely on staying alive as fireball after fireball made its way toward him.

One hit him in the shoulder. He screamed in pain and dropped to the ground, rolling to put the flames out. When he looked up, he saw a figure looming over him, staring down at him with golden eyes glittering with hate.

His resemblance to his son gave him away: the Fire Lord himself was preparing to kill him.

* * *

_A/N: Yeah, I'm on a roll. I finally know how to fill the gaps between the Earth Kingdom attack and the epilogue I wrote a long, long time ago. Hooray! So, two more chapters and the epic finally concludes. Hope everyone is still enjoying the story, and thank you as always for your wonderful reviews. They are truly appreciated._


	37. Fight Club

Aang scanned what he could see of the street outside the still-standing wall surrounding the manor home, trying not to worry. Just because Toph was an Earthbender and had cleared them a path _to_ the palace didn't mean they wouldn't have to seek an alternate route _from_ the palace. Which could explain why they were taking so long.

Or they could have been attacked. He really, really didn't want to believe that was the case, but as an hour turned into two, he knew the options were dwindling from "everything's going to be fine and they'll make it back soon" to "something went wrong." Maybe it wasn't that they were attacked; maybe they'd run into trouble during one of the aftershocks that seemed determined to never end. He'd counted four so far, one of which had damaged the manor even further. He'd kept everyone inside safe, taking extra care to keep the dust and debris away from the area where

Katara had been working on Ty Lee.

He had no idea if Katara would be able to save Sokka's girlfriend, but he hoped so, and not just for Sokka's sake. Ty Lee had proven to be not only indispensible but cheerful and friendly even under the least positive circumstances. If she'd been one of Azula's assassins before, well, that was behind her now.

Unless, of course, she was put on trial for her crimes…

_Nope, not going there_, Aang thought, shaking his head. "It won't be up to me to decide anyway," he muttered.

"What won't?"

He started at the sound of Katara's voice, then watched as she walked up to him, dropping wearily to sit next to him on the bench he'd formed out of random chunks of stone. Someone had found her some Fire Nation clothes to replace the rags she'd been wearing when they rescued her, trousers and a sleeveless top and even shoes that seemed to mostly fit.

"Oh, you know, things," was his vague reply as she rested her arms on her knees. Before she could question him further, he added: "How is Ty Lee doing?"

"Better. She'll live. Even Waterbending couldn't fix everything that was wrong with her, but I did my best," Katara replied shortly, as if she didn't want to talk about it. And maybe she didn't; after all, she knew that Ty Lee used to be Azula's…what? Friend? Was that word too strong? Aang had no idea, and he doubted Ty Lee would feel like talking about it now that the princess was dead.

"Lord Iroh is with her," Katara continued. She sounded so tired... "She woke up for a few minutes, he got her to drink some tea, then she passed out again." Her voice hardened. "He told me about Suki, about what she did." She shook her head. "I can see why she did it, I even believe that she didn't know what her message was about or what delivering it would cause to happen, but it's a good thing you guys sent her away. She needs to go home and tell people first-hand how much death and destruction their so-called 'solution' caused."

Katara fell silent after that, absently waving her hand to try and get some of the smoke away from her. Aang gestured, stirring up a small breeze to take the worst of the stinking cloud away from them, and Katara flashed him a grateful smile before turning her gaze to the view from the half-destroyed iron grating that had once been a pair of intimidating gates guarding the entrance to a house of privilege.

"So? What won't be up to you to decide?" Katara asked suddenly, when the silence between them stretched unbroken for a long pair of minutes.

Aang allowed himself a deep, unhappy sigh. "You know," he said, gesturing vaguely toward the still-burning city. "How things turn out here. What happens next." _If Ty Lee is put on trial for treason…_

Katara looked at him, brows knitted in confusion. "Why do you think it has nothing to do with you? You're still the Avatar; if the world didn't need you before it certainly does now! Especially if Ozai is still alive," she muttered in a low voice.

"You think he died in the earthquake?" Aang asked, trying not to sound hopeful. It was wrong to wish anybody dead, the monks had taught him that and it was a lesson he'd tried really, really hard to hold onto even in the strange new world he'd woken up into.

"I really hope so," Katara replied fervently. Oh well, he'd never quite managed to take that lesson to heart himself, let alone instill its virtues in the hearts of others. Even others like Katara who naturally abhorred the taking of life. "If only the earthquake had struck just a few minutes later, we'd know for sure."

Hmm, so much for what he knew about Katara. "You mean he was about to die before the earthquake?" Aang asked cautiously. Hoping he was misunderstanding.

Katara turned to face him, her face deadly serious. She took both his hands in hers before speaking. He found himself staring into blue eyes that had always been as clear as a summer sky. Now, they seemed as dark and cold as the sky at dusk. In winter. In the South Pole.

"Aang, Ozai ordered his servants to feed me Bitterroot tea. And then I lost my baby. He had his own son imprisoned for the 'crime' of not murdering you and protecting me, a Waterbender." The bitterness in her eyes was as nothing to the bitterness in her voice. Aang winced inwardly at the sound of such anger from a friend who had shown him nothing but kindness. "When I recovered, he had me brought to his bedroom so he could make me his concubine. If I hadn't used Bloodbending, he would have raped me, and not just once. He turned Zuko's sister into a monster; it's a miracle his son didn't turn out the same. So don't expect me to regret it if Ozai is dead."

The last was spoken with a fierceness that would have taken Aang aback if he hadn't already braced himself for it. However, he could and would object to one thing Katara had said: "What do you mean, Zuko didn't turn into a monster? How could you defend him after what he did to you?"

Katara released her hold on his hands and stared off into the distance for while before answering him, speaking haltingly, as if seeking out the perfect words to explain herself. "Because he regrets what he did. Because he loved our baby when he didn't have to." She locked glances with Aang again. "Because he showed his true colors when it would have been to his benefit to just turn you over to his sister and let me rot as Mai's prisoner. And because his uncle says he might have stumbled off the right path, but thinks we've all helped him find his way again."

Wow. She really meant all that stuff. Aang blinked a couple of times as he tried to take it all in. "I guess if someone in the Fire Nation royal family had to survive, then I guess we're lucky its him," he finally said, equally careful in his choice of words. But he couldn't resist muttering: "If you can call that 'lucky'."

That won a small smile from Katara's lips. "Aang, somewhere along this dark and twisted path I've been forced into following, I fell in love with the last man in the world I should ever be with. And I think he feels the same way about me." She drew a deep breath and let it out slowly. "I guess only time will tell. And speaking of time," she added with a frown, "how long has it been since we got back from the palace? Shouldn't Sokka and the others be here by now?" She glanced around as if expecting them to pop up from behind a pile of rubble.

"Yeah, they should," Aang replied, although with a great deal of reluctance. His gray eyes were troubled as he scanned the remains of the road leading to the mansion. He rose to his feet, reaching automatically for his glider. "I should go back…"

"Not by yourself, and not flying," Katara said firmly, reaching out to place a restraining hand on his wrist. "You've already done enough of that today, and now that things are settling down a bit the last thing you want to do is bring attention to yourself. Or us," she added, glancing back at the ruined mansion. She, too rose to her feet. "I'll just tell Iroh we're going after the others." She turned to jog back inside, glancing over her shoulder to admonish: "You wait right there!"

**The Palace**

The Fire Lord had a line of flames stretching from his hand and lashing the air over his head. And when he lashed it downward, Sokka was certain he was about to feel just how much a whip made of fire could hurt. He tensed himself for the attack, but at the last second the line of flame was deflected by another fireball, and when a figure interposed itself between him and Ozai, Sokka realized who'd done the deflecting.

Prince Zuko had just saved his life.

Great. How was he supposed to feel about _that_?

Before he could decide which way to move, the ground seemed to decide it for him, lifting him on a sudden hillock of stone and rolling him back the way he'd come. Toward Toph, who'd just assisted in saving his ass.

At least he had no sense of ambivalence toward _her_; he scrambled back under cover and gave her a quick, one-armed hug. "Thanks!"

She batted him away with an irritable scowl. "Thank me later. Right now I have to try and get a good shot at King Asshole, now that you're safely out of the way."

Safely out of the way. Like he was some kind of kid. He glowered at her, a wasted gesture since she couldn't see him. Besides, now wasn't the time to pick a fight with Toph. Not when they should be focusing on the fight going on right in front of them.

And, much as he hated to admit it, she was right. In a fight against a Firebender he was more than outmatched. The best thing he could do right now was hunker down and let Toph and, much as he hated to admit it, Zuko take on the Fire Lord and whatever army he'd brought with him.

What the heck was he even doing down here, at the bottom levels of the palace? Shouldn't he be out assessing the damage and rallying the troops and making speeches about how they needed to pull together as a nation to get through this cataclysmic event? Or at least how they should be burning the Earth Kingdom to the ground, since it was them who went on the attack this time? What kind of leader was he, anyway?

The kind that put personal vengeance before the needs of his kingdom, apparently, since he was bellowing something about making sure Zuko burned and that Water Tribe slut with him…wait, that was _Katara_ he was yelling about! Sokka shot up from behind cover, ready to slice the Fire Lord into tiny pieces. Fortunately for him Toph realized what he'd done and yanked him back down just in time to avoid having his head turned into a roasted meat pie.

"You _idiot_!" she hissed. Hard to do without any esses in those two words, but she managed it anyway. "He's brought back up! Stay down unless I call your name!" Then she vaulted over the debris pile and was gone.

Sokka wasn't about to sit this one out, not after hearing his sister insulted like that. So there were a bunch of Firebenders out there; so what. Family honor was at stake, and he'd be damned if he let Prince Hothead get all the credit for stopping his sicko father and maybe, just maybe setting the Fire Nation back on a sane course for the first time in a hundred years.

Moving in a crouch, he made his way to the other side of the narrow hall. Not much of a feint, but he'd do his best. He ripped off his shirt and stuck it on the tip of his sword, then waved it on the side he'd just vacated. As soon as it was hit with a volley of fireballs, he flipped the now-burning material off it and vaulted over the top of the debris pile, ducking and rolling behind another pile of rocks and twisted metal that might be the remains of another door frame, or possibly a window since they were now above ground.

Whatever. It didn't mattered. All that mattered right now was getting past the, what, three? four? guards he could see lining up behind the Fire Lord and getting rid of them.

Oops, nope, only three now. Toph had very efficiently drawn stone up from the floor and encased the closest soldier up to his shoulders. The man was still literally spitting fire, but both the Earthbender and Sokka were well out of his reach. Toph was going after the next soldier and had encased him up to his waist when a stray fireball from Lord Ozai singed her arm. She yelped and went down, covering herself with an inclined layer of stone which Sokka used as a ramp to launch himself at the partially-trapped Firebender.

Just in time. The man had already loosed a stream of fire at Sokka's previous location. When the Water Tribe chieftain hit him in the chest with both feet, there was a sickening crunch and snapping sound before the dying man's scream was cut off by a gurgle and a second crunch as his head hit the floor. Sokka had managed to break both his legs, and spared not a moment of regret as he sprang to his feet and reached for his boomerang.

He threw it at the remaining Firebender, who had been concentrating on acting as back-up for the Fire Lord, launching streams of flame and fireballs at Zuko.

The boomerang hit the soldier neatly in the middle of his forehead as he turned to see what the strange noise behind him might be. His eyes crossed and he dropped to the floor, where Sokka quickly finished him off with his sword. Hastily wiping it on the dead man's tunic, he returned to a crouch and rapped on the stone covering Toph. "It's me, Sokka!" he shouted, then ducked as one of Ozai's fireballs nearly hit him. Again.

"There are more soldiers coming," came Toph's muffled response.

Sokka glanced down the hallway; sure enough, he could see at least a dozen more palace guards racing their way. "Block them off!" he shouted, wondering why she was still under cover.

"I can't," she replied, her voice still muffled, but now he could hear the pain in it. "My arm's too burned to use, and I landed on the other one. It's trapped under me."

Great. Just great.

Zuko heard Sokka shout but not Toph's response. Whatever it was, it wasn't immediately followed by a wall of stone blocking off the oncoming soldiers, so apparently the Earthbender was down for the count. Great. Just great.

He ducked and rolled as his father lashed out at him again. The only good thing about the situation was that the ceilings were too low for him to get the height advantage by levitating himself. That was a trick Zuko was determined to learn someday.

If he survived long enough to get the chance.

He rolled onto his side and sprang to his feet as a volley of fireballs hit his former position, some from his father but a few from the newest entries to the fight. He expected the Fire Lord to declare Agni Kai; when he didn't, when he allowed the soldiers to advance and continue to fire on his son, Zuko knew it wasn't only a matter of honor.

This time, his father just wanted him dead.

* * *

_A/N: OK, so this is taking a little longer than I thought it would. I hope no one is upset that there will be at least two more chapters coming? This scene was getting a bit too long. Hope it works for you. I'm sure you'll let me know when you review this chapter!_


	38. Killer Instincts

**oOo**

The scene that greeted Aang and Katara was dire; Sokka and Zuko were both doing their best to avoid being roasted to death—and one of the Firebenders was Ozai. Not dead after all.

Katara felt an immense rage growing in her at the sight of the man who'd so callously ordered the death of her baby and was currently trying to kill the man she loved.

And her brother. And the young Earthbender she'd come to consider as close to a sister as she'd ever get.

As the list of people Ozai had harmed or killed or tried to kill or was trying to kill, right now, this very second, grew and expanded in Katara's memory, flashing through her mind like lightning, so did her rage. Her vision narrowed until the evil bastard was the only thing she could see, his death the only thing that meant anything to her, and she reached out to finish the job she'd started before the earthquake had hit.

She moved forward, blood in her eye and in her mind, her fingers curling into claws as she approached her enemy.

**oOo**

Everything happened very quickly after that, so quickly that it took them all a long, long time to sort things out properly.

The soldiers in the doorway, one by one, collapsed into pits. Later they sorted out that Aang had done that, to buy the others time and so he could rescue Toph from her accidental imprisonment. She was never to admit to being embarrassed by her fumble-fingeredness, but she would admit that it hadn't exactly gone as planned, either.

But that was later. For now, once Aang had taken care of temporarily entombing the soldiers, he'd closed up the hall as Toph had intended, so no one else could enter, jumping over the pits in the floor and removing the slab of stone covering his Earthbending instructor in almost the same movement.

Whether it was at precisely that moment that Ozai managed to set Sokka's clothes on fire or just afterwards was debated over many meals. The fact that Katara was a Waterbender should have eliminated any worries about her brother burning up, but she was so focused, so single-minded, so obsessed, she later admitted, that she couldn't even see his flaming figure. Only that of the Fire Lord inflicting the damage. Luckily Aang was able to douse the flames and drag Sokka out of the battle, leaving him with Toph and intending to do whatever he could to help the others end this battle as quickly and painlessly—and with as little death—as possible.

He privately admitted to Toph later—much, much later—that he honestly expected to be able to prevent further bloodshed, to keep everyone in the corridor alive, even the Fire Lord. The fact that he was unable to do so he spent the remainder of his life believing to be one of his worst failures. No matter how little anyone else agreed with him.

Once Sokka had been removed from the fight, Ozai concentrated his efforts on Zuko, although he also lobbed a stray fireball or two Katara's way, once he saw she was there. In fact, he might have snarled something like, "Die, bitch!" as he did so, but fortunately Zuko was lobbing fireballs right back at him, thus distracting him from what everyone definitely thought was the person he most wanted to kill, even more than his (to his mind) treacherous son.

The woman who could Bend blood like water, and who didn't need anything but the body of the person she was after. No waterskin, no ice daggers, just the very source of life running through a man's veins, leading to his heart and flowing through every finger and toe and in his head and body, arms and legs, feet and hands.

Things got confusing again when one of the soldiers turned out to have absolutely _scorching_ skills with fire, no pun intended. He managed to blast himself out of the pit into which he'd been so inconveniently dropped, aiming a stream of fire at Katara's right hand, dropping her to the ground with a scream of combined anger and pain as her attempts to control Ozai's body were disrupted, leaving the madman free to continue pummeling his son with fireballs.

With Toph and Sokka, their two most injured members safely behind a barrier of stone, Aang hurled himself at the soldier, forcing him back into the pit and covering it with a more solid grid of stone, careful to leave a few air holes in spite of the fact that the bastard had hurt Katara. It was then that he lost track of what was going on; when he returned his attention to the battle, Zuko was down, screaming in pain as his clothing erupted into flames, and Katara was desperately trying to Bloodbend with only one good hand and there was loads of other sounds, flames roaring, Ozai shouting in triumph as he raised a fire lash over his head to offer up the coup de grâce to Zuko, Zuko's continued screams of pain, Katara's screams of anger as she launched herself at the Fire Lord, right into the path of the whip as it descended…

…and Aang did the only thing he could think of to stop the insanity. Later he berated himself for not just putting up a stone wall between Ozai and the others, or dropping him into a pit as he had the soldiers, or just blowing him backwards and off-balance. All he could think, as he watched the lash descending in what seemed like terrible slow motion, was that he needed to save Katara.

So he summoned his own inner fire and blasted the Fire Lord where he stood, till nothing remained but a charred body, screaming even louder than Zuko under the same treatment, somehow calling on the man's own inner fires to add to the flames Aang was shooting at him, sucking the flames away from Zuko and adding them to the conflagration until the Fire Lord was truly fire, nothing but fire and flames and quickly-dwindling screams.

Then it was over, and Aang felt darkness welling up to take him into its welcome embrace.

His last, anguished thought before passing out was: _I'm a murderer._

* * *

_A/N: Told you you wouldn't guess who was gonna kill Ozai! And guess what, this means there are still 2 more chapters because this one sort of wrote itself and needed to end exactly where it did. Tell me what you think!_


	39. Right of Succession

Everything hurt. It hurt everywhere, all over, head to foot, no way to distinguish where one pain ended and the next began. He moaned, although it wasn't exactly a royal sound, certainly not worthy of coming out of the throat of a Fire Nation prince. Unless he was having really awesome sex, which he definitely wasn't. No, he knew the moan was from pain, because pain was all he could feel, pain, fire, the agony of knowing he was going to die…

Voices. His ears didn't hurt so badly he couldn't hear the sudden babble of voices.

"He's alive!" "Barely!" "We have to do something, get a Healer-"

"Move! I've got him! Get me some water, now!"

Katara's voice. He managed a smile; the added pain from that slight movement to his face was the proverbial last straw. Mercifully, he passed out.

Katara glared at her brother, who stumbled to his feet and groped for Aang's water skin. It was lying where the poor kid had dropped it, and was still about a quarter of the way full. Katara snatched it out of her hand, barely taking any time to heal her own burns before gloving both hands in the water and frantically drawing it over Zuko's well-crisped form. "Get me more!" she snapped, and Sokka limped to the stairwell they'd come up, back to the kitchen where his sister and the Fire Prince—Fire Lord, now, surely?—had been trapped. He had some unpleasant burns of his own, but had been pulled out of the fire in time for most of them to be superficial.

He spared a moment to check on Aang and Toph. The Avatar seemed unharmed but was completely unconscious. Toph's arm appeared to be broken; when he offered to set it, however, all she did was snarl at him to hurry up and get the water his sister needed so SHE could take care of the healing.

Fetching water for his sister to save the day. He grumbled even as he hurried down the path Toph had cleared for them, then shut up as he once again saw the room where his sister had been trapped. With Prince Hothead. For hours. After rescuing him from certain death…

She was alive. His sister was alive when he'd been terrified she was dead, so what the hell was he doing, griping about her love life and her being the one to save the day? Well, after Aang saved the day first…really, he was better than that. He was the Chieftain of their tribe, his and Katara's, not some stupid kid resenting other people's achievements.

Especially not his sister, whom he loved. And certainly not someone who'd put himself into harm's way in order to save the life of a man who resented and hated him.

Someone who might die if he, Sokka, didn't get his ass in gear and get the water his sister needed to save him back upstairs.

He found a couple of storage jars he thought he could manage to lug back up the stairs and fidgeted impatiently as they filled. He was trying to be stoic and noble and ignore the burns on his neck and shoulders and back and arms and especially the really bad one on his leg…and getting nowhere. He knew his sister would take care of the rest of them when she'd finished with Zuko, just like she'd waited until she was done with Ty Lee before running back to rescue the rest of their merry band of misfits…

Ty Lee. He'd almost forgotten about her in all the confusion. Had she regained consciousness, was she still in pain? Katara wouldn't have come back unless she'd been finished helping the Fire Nation girl who'd done so much for them, and at great cost to herself.

Just like Zuko.

Damn, his thoughts just wanted to keep circling round and round. He was grateful for the distraction of the first jug filling to get him off that particular merry-go-round. Which, one day, Spirit's willing, Ty Lee would be able to show him so he wouldn't have to try and picture mechanical ostrich-horses going in circles in his head.

He managed to keep himself distracted with such trivial thoughts while holding the second jar under the stream of water pouring from the broken pipe. When that jar was full, he stoppered it with a rag and improvised a carrying halter to enable him to balance one on his chest and the other against his back, over his unburned shoulder. It was still painful, but far easier than simply lugging each one up one at a time would have been.

He was nearing the top of the stairs when his sister nearly bowled him over racing toward him. Without speaking she opened the first jar, Bent some of the water and gloved her hands, then turned and raced back up the remaining steps.

Relative calm faced Sokka when he reached the top of the stairs with the rest of the water. He dragged the jars over to his sister's side. Toph was sitting patiently next to Aang, who remained unconscious. Sokka couldn't help but notice that the pits holding the trapped Fire Benders were now…gone. From the fierce expression on Toph's face, the Benders hadn't just been allowed to go their merry way.

Good. The bastards deserved to die.

Not that Aang was going to agree with that when he finally woke up, and why was he unconscious, anyway? There were no injuries to his head that Sokka could see, and when he asked Toph about it, in a low voice not meant to disturb his sister as she worked feverishly to save Zuko's life, the Earthbender's only response was a shrug and a worried shake of her head.

The minutes dragged by as Katara worked doggedly to save Zuko. Sokka retrieved two more urns of water before she finally declared herself satisfied that he would pull through. Then she turned her attention to the rest of the group. She healed Toph's broken arm and burns, Sokka's injuries, and almost as an afterthought the few burns she had sustained. When her brother asked about Aang, she hesitated before shaking her head.

"There's nothing wrong with his body," she said, tracing the line of her young friend's chin sadly. "He just killed someone, which goes against everything he was taught to believe about the sanctity of life. I think this is just his way of coping—or rather, not coping," she corrected herself with a tired sigh. "As long as he stays unconscious, he doesn't have to deal with what he did." She met her brother's serious expression with one of her own. "I think it would be best if you and Toph took him back to Ty Lee's house." She glanced over at Zuko, who was just beginning to stir into consciousness. "And send Zuko's uncle along. I think the new Fire Lord's going to need some support from what's left of his family."

The new Fire Lord. Sokka gulped; he hadn't thought that far ahead. But it was the only possible outcome; both Ozai and Azula were dead, so that only left loverb…Zuko. Prince Zuko.

Fire Lord Zuko. He'd have to get used to that. "I hope he does a better job than his dad did," he blurted out without thinking.

"I'd have to be the most inept ruler in the world if I managed to do worse."

Zuko was back on his feet, Katara rushing to his side to steady him as he spoke. "I take it my father's dead?"

Katara nodded. The charred corpse lay where it had fallen, but Zuko wasn't bothering to look at anything but her as he spoke. "I've asked Sokka and Toph to take Aang and get your uncle."

He gave a curt nod in response. "Good. I'll need him to help me deal with any surviving Fire Sages." Then he smiled, completely transforming the cold mask he'd been wearing into something warm and human, and Sokka caught a glimpse of what his sister saw in him. "Thanks," he murmured quietly.

Toph made a loud throat-clearing noise and clapped her hands together. "Soooo…time to get Twinkletoes out of here, right Chiefy?"

Sokka winced at the nickname; didn't the kid know how to say anyone's real name. "Call me Sokka," he grumbled as he deliberately turned his back on his sister and loverb—Zuko. He wished he could stopper his ears as he heard the distinct sound of a kiss, and hastened to heave Aang over his shoulder while Toph cleared a path directly through the wall in front of them. Fresh air poured in, clearing the residual smoke and ash and making it so much easier to breathe that he couldn't help but pause and inhale. Noisily. As noisily as possible.

Katara and Zuko broke from their embrace as the others finally left. He almost called after Toph to close up the damn hole she'd made in the wall, then clamped his lips shut. What difference did it make, considering how much damage had already been done to his ancestral home?

He finally allowed his eyes to roam the corridor, taking stock. He noted the newly sealed holes in the floor where his father's soldiers had been trapped; although he tightened his lips, he said nothing.

Katara was watching him carefully, waiting for him to finally acknowledge his father's body, to allow himself to see it and deal with the fact that the Fire Lord was dead. No matter what he'd done to both of them, he was still his father, the man who raised him, and seeing him dead had to be as painful for Zuko as being forced to kill his sister had been.

Not that he'd ever acknowledge that pain. At least, not to anyone else. Katara hoped he'd be able to unburden himself to her someday, that he wouldn't just pretend it didn't matter that his immediate family was dead at either his own hand or his instigation. She supposed she'd feel some kind of remorse or guilt if she were ever forced to put Sokka down. Not that he could ever turn out as twisted and evil as Azula and Ozai, but it was the closest she could come to comparing her own possible reaction to Zuko's.

Finally Zuko's eyes rested on the charred corpse that was all that remained of the man who'd ruled the Fire Nation—and attempted to rule the world—with an iron fist for the past thirty years.

With a sigh he dropped to his knees. "I'm sorry," he said, and Katara felt her stomach tighten with sudden fear. What if he regretted his father's death so much that he could no longer stand to be around those who had helped bring it about? But his next words reassured her. "I'm sorry you forced this upon yourself. I'm sorry I wasn't strong enough to stop you sooner, before the Earth Kingdom felt backed into causing so much destruction to our people and our nation." He reached up with one hand and Katara took it in hers as he continued: "It ends here and now. I don't care if it takes the entirety of my reign, but I promise, it ends here."

He fell silent for a long minute before heaving himself to his feet, still holding tightly to Katara's hand. His eyes met hers, and he reached up brush her hair behind her ear. "I mean that. It ends here." He took a deep breath. "I know I said I wasn't sure if I could love you, that I didn't know what love really means, but Katara, if you'll have me, I want to marry you. I want you to be my Fire Lady, and not just because it would be a visible symbol to my people and the rest of the world that I mean what I say, but because I do love you. The thought of being apart from you, it's like a great big hole opens up in my heart whenever I try to picture it."

She leaned forward and planted a gentle kiss on his lips. "It'll be hard," she whispered when the kiss ended, pressing her hand against the one he still held to her cheek. "But I'll be by your side to the end. I promise."

**oOo**

The ceremony was simple, just Zuko and Katara, Iroh, Aang, Sokka, Ty Lee and Toph standing in front of the senior surviving Fire Sage in what had once been a beautifully tiled courtyard and was now a rubble-choked ruin. All but the mosaic circle in which they now stood, miraculously spared the destruction that surrounded it. It was a representation of the four nations, dating from long before Sozin's time and thus left unaltered out of reverence for its history, if not for its obvious message of harmony and balance.

A message Zuko was determined to honor in every way possible.

Aang was still unsteady on his feet, still trying to come to grips with what he'd done, how he'd failed to live up to his ideals, but Zuko had a sneaking suspicion a certain blind Earthbender would stay by his side, not only to prop him up when he was unable to face things on his own, but to kick his ass if she felt he was wallowing in self-pity. He'd seen her sneak a kiss with Aang before the ceremony started; although the Avatar had looked startled at first, the blush that spread across his cheeks and the goofy grin he wore for a long time afterward spoke volumes.

There had been absolutely no protest when Zuko presented himself to be crowned as the new Fire Lord; either the Fire Sages and council were still in shock after the attack or else they were secretly relieved not to have to deal with either Ozai or Azula anymore. Either way, the two were to be given formal state burials within the next few days.

But Zuko had wanted his marriage to take place first. There would have to be some kind of ceremony much later, after things had returned to whatever "normal" would be from now on, but he wasn't worried about it. His bride had handled everything this life during war had thrown at her with grace and courage, and he didn't expect that to change just because he'd made overtures of peace to the Earth Kingdom.

Their children, he was determined, would be given every opportunity to grow up knowing war only as a history lesson.

"The two have become one; I proclaim the Fire Lord and his Lady to be married."

Startled, Zuko realized he'd basically just zoned out during his own wedding ceremony. He turned back to stare at Katara, who had the same elkdeer-facing-a-runaway-boulder look that he knew he had; then her lips curved into a smile and her hands tightened on his and she was leaning forward to kiss him.

That kiss told him more than any wedding ceremony ever could that she loved him. He forgot everything else in the joy of the moment.

The future could wait, just a little while longer, while he kissed his bride.

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_A/N: There it is, the (penultimate) chapter. One little epilogue to wrap up any loose ends (what happened to Jet? Do Ty Lee and Sokka get married? What about Aang and Toph? What's Mimi been up to this whole time?) and the story is done. Hope everyone enjoyed the ride. All comments (not flames, natch) are welcome. Thanks again for reading!_


	40. Epilogue: Loose Ends

**Epilogue: Loose Ends**

A month later, things had settled into a grim new reality for the Fire Nation, and especially for the survivors in the capital. Anyone who could be pulled from the wreckage had been, which was far more than could have been hoped if Toph hadn't very publicly started Earthbending wherever she heard noises beneath her feet, Aang working silently by her side. Everyone knew who he was now, just as everyone knew it had been an attack by the Earth Kingdom that brought them so low, but everyone was also too busy trying to survive to want to launch a counterattack, which their new Fire Lord strictly forbade anyway. Yes, they'd been at war so long it was hard not think of such things, but they'd also been conditioned to obey their rulers implicitly, else there'd have been uprisings and attempted palace coups during Ozai and Sozin's reins.

Since they'd failed to rise up against those madmen, Zuko gambled that they wouldn't rise up against someone at least remotely sane.

His gamble paid off, at least in the short term. The knowledge that the Avatar was alive and well and doing his best to help them was another layer of oil on troubled waters. Time enough to worry about starting up wars or retaliating against foes who'd willingly signed a peace treaty later.

Suki, of all people, had been the one to delivery said treaty to Zuko's hands. How she'd managed to convince anyone in authority to listen to her was a secret she kept to herself, but the treaty was real and Zuko signed it himself with a great deal of relief. One less thing to worry about, at least in the short term.

Suki left without speaking to any of the others, and didn't ask about them except to inquire as to how Ty Lee was doing in the aftermath of her injuries. Speaking in the same gravely formal tones, Zuko told her she was doing fine, Suki seemed to accept his words at face value, and their audience was over.

The truth, of course, was far more complicated. Ty Lee had been badly injured, to the point where Katara had feared she might never walk again; a death sentence or near enough to a former acrobat. Fortunately she'd recovered quickly and was back on her feet, but had been told she might never be able to bear children. She'd taken the news stoically, then spent the next two weeks turning down Sokka's repeated marriage proposals.

"We can't have kids, Sokka!" she'd finally shouted at him in earshot of Katara and Iroh and a half-dozen palace servants, all of whom had quickly found somewhere else to be. Then she'd broken down in tears when he told her there were so many war orphans, both here and back home, that it wouldn't be a problem if she really wanted to be a mom.

Of course, that did her in completely, and the next thing she knew they were setting off for the Southern Polar region, her injured in body and spirit, and Sokka still overflowing with guilt for his part in the deaths of so many of the Southern Water Tribe men. Even carrying a peace treaty and non-aggression pact back home with him, freshly signed by the new Fire Lord, wasn't enough to do more than put a bandage over that pain. Like his new wife's sorrow over her barrenness, it was damage he'd carry with him to his grave.

It was war, or the end of war, as they all hoped, and no one escaped unscathed.

Still, even among the sorrows there were small joys. Aang continued to come to terms with his actions during that last, horrific battle against the previous Fire Lord; Katara whispered to Zuko's ear that she was late and the two of them celebrated quietly together. The Dragon of the West agreed to return to Ba Sing Se to help the Earth King retake his hijacked kingdom, and the Avatar pledged to join him and Toph there as soon as he felt he could leave the Fire Nation capital.

It would be a full year before they were all together once again. Katara and Zuko's son was born healthy and beautiful and the people were so happy to have something to celebrate about their rulers that they kept any doubts they might have about a half-breed heir to themselves, from the highest to the lowest. Ty Lee and Sokka came for the official anniversary celebration, bringing with them the four children they'd adopted, two from the Fire Nation and two from the Earth Kingdom. Toph and Aang brought Mimi and Iroh along on Appa, leaving King Bumi to make his way there with the pomp and circumstance due a King.

They assembled in Zuko and Katara's private courtyard, raised their cups to peace, and vowed to make it last beyond their lifetimes.

If they managed such a wonderful thing, well, that's a tale for a different story, as are the fates of our remaining villains, Mai and Jet.

The End

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_A/N: Well, there you have it, folks, the end to the epic. I was just going to stop at the wedding but decided to wrap (most) things up. Hope you all enjoyed the ride, and thanks to everyone who read and especially those who reviewed. You're the reason we keep writing. After I finish up my other two Avatar stories ("After the Happily Ever After" and "It Started With A Kiss, It Ended With A Kiss"), I'll be putting up another Zutara story called "One Door Closes." Stay tuned!_


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